What I Found In You
by aloneinmymindwithghosts
Summary: When Peter is tasked with finding out who the new superhero is, it's much harder than he, or anyone else, expected. She's hard to get to, she doesn't talk, and her powers are hard to beat. And outside of his life as Spider-Man, there's a girl at school who Peter's never noticed until now... I hope you enjoy the crap, I don't own anything except for my OC.
1. We Really Need To Talk

_Guess who started doing Avengers fanfics? __Okay. Marvel, specifically the MCU, is now my fandom. I'm sorry. Enjoy this crap._

_I don't own anything._

_Takes place in the two years between Homecoming and IW._

* * *

**00 | We Really Need To Talk**

"Mr. Stark."

"Fury."

"I take it you've seen the reports."

"I have."

"You're going to find her."

"Correction: the Avengers are going to find her."

"You're part of the Avengers."

"So is Spider-Man. Well, not really, but he's close to them."

"Your point is…?"

"She's been seen around Queens. Spider-Man operates mainly in Queens."

"You're saying you're putting a fifteen-year-old in charge of finding her."

"…Yes."

"Just find the girl."

* * *

"Kid."

"_Mr. Stark?"_

"Yeah, it's me. Look, Fury did that creepy thing where he waits for people in the shadows-"

"_Wait, Nick Fury? What did he want you for?"_

"Not just me, kid."

"_He wanted the rest of the Avengers?"_

"No. He wants the new superhero."

"…_I don't understand. What do I have to do with this?"_

"You're in charge of finding her."

"_What?!"_

"Yup. You're in charge of finding a superhero. Figuring out who she is."

"_Mr. Stark, I don't know about this…"_

"Don't worry, S.H.I.E.L.D. and the rest of the Avengers are on it too. But she operates in Queens, near you. You're in charge."

"_You really think I can do it?"_

"I wouldn't have called you if I didn't, right?"

"_I won't let you down."_

"I know you won't. Good night, Underoos."

"_Night, Mr. Stark."_

* * *

"Ned."

"_Peter? What is it? Are you Spider-Manning? Do you need help?"_

"No, Ned, I'm fine."

"_What is it?"_

"Nick Fury wants me."

"_Dude! No way, that's so cool! What for?"_

"I'm helping him find a superhero."

"_Who?"_

"…"

"_Peter? Who is it?"_

"Psych."


	2. I Can't Help But Wonder

_Thanks to D00rFr4m3 for leaving me my first review, it means a ton. And yeah, I only planned to have the prologue like that. I'm so sorry, I thought I did the characters but I didn't... I'm really stupid sometimes. Anyways, please enjoy this, I still don't own anything!_

* * *

**01 | I Can't Help But Wonder**

"What's up, losers?" MJ said, causing Peter and Ned to startle and look up at her.

"Oh, uh, hey, MJ," Peter said awkwardly, meeting her eyes. Brown eyes, warm but hard. Not letting anyone in. "Nothing much, we were just talking about the… science quiz." He winced, realizing MJ wouldn't buy it, there wasn't one coming up anytime soon-

"Oh, you mean the pop quiz that Mr. Harrington is going to pull on us tomorrow?" she asked.

"Y-yeah, that one," Ned said, offering a smile.

MJ didn't return it. "It's going to be pretty easy. We don't even need to study for it." Peter nodded, taking a bite of his lunch. "I never thought that you two would be the kind of people that would know when pop quizzes were," MJ continued, glancing approvingly at them.

"Well, uh, it's good to be prepared," Peter said, shrugging a little bit. Ned nodded in agreement and MJ smirked.

"Well, I'll see you later. I'm going to see if I can find anyone in crisis," she told them. "Bye, losers."

"Bye, MJ," Peter said, and he could swear he saw her smile as she left their table.

Ned immediately went back to what they had been discussing before. "I still can't believe that _Nick Fury_ called you."

"He didn't call me, he talked to Mr. Stark and then Mr. Stark called me," Peter said, glancing around to see if anyone was listening. "But I still have no idea why he would want me."

"He said that he thought you could do it, right? That's what you told me this morning," Ned reminded him. "And that she's in Queens."

"Yes, he did say that, but I don't think those are the only reasons," Peter admitted. "I feel like there's something else going on."

"Peter, chill out. I'm sure it's fine, Mr. Stark's probably just trying to show that he trusts you to find Psych," Ned said, looking right into Peter's eyes. "Dude, you can do this!"

"You're right. I'm overthinking this," Peter said. Closing his eyes for a second, he refocused his thoughts. "Okay, so. Psych."

"Can I help? Even just a little bit?" Ned asked him, his eyes lighting up in excitement when Peter nodded.

"Yeah, sure. You _are_ my guy in the chair," Peter said, smiling at his friend. Ned grinned back and the two did their handshake before the bell rang, signaling the end of their lunchtime.

Peter noticed a girl sitting at a different lunch table, completely alone, flinch at the noise and quickly cover her ears. She had long, pale blond hair and was wearing an oversized gray sweatshirt and black shorts that reached down to her knees.

"Peter? Come on, we have class," Ned said, tugging on Peter's sleeve.

"What? Oh, yeah. Right. Sorry, I spaced out," Peter said.

Ned glanced at him worridley. "It's not the bell, right? You're okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine, Ned," Peter told him, smiling a little bit at his friend's concern. He was so lucky to have Ned, someone who was kind and loyal and cared about him.

"Okay, come on. We have woodwork," Ned said. They walked out of the cafeteria, Peter glancing behind him once to get another look at the girl. She gingerly took her hands off her ears, then slung her backpack over her shoulder and started walking out. Peter was still confused, why would she cover her ears from the sound of the bell, it didn't seem to bother anyone else, but for Peter on bad days-

"Crap," he muttered.

"Crap? What…?" Ned asked, following his gaze. "Peter?"

"Nothing. Sorry. I'm thinking out loud," Peter said, shaking his head. There was no way… right?

"If you say so," Ned said, glancing at him one more time.

She was just sound sensitive. No enhanced senses, no superpowers, nothing. She was normal. She had to be.

But if she wasn't…?

* * *

Avri walked out of the cafeteria, wincing from the sound of the bell. She could still feel it ringing, vibrating in her ears, playing over and over again. To her, it was like the fire alarm had gone off, right next to her ear.

At least this was only normal sensory overload.

Her hoodie reached halfway down her thighs, the bottoms of her shorts peeking out from underneath, the fleece interior of the hoodie rubbing against her skin. Thankfully, it was soft and thick, unlike the T-shirt she was wearing underneath. The fabric was rough, itchy even, and she was gritting her teeth in an effort to _keep it together, come on, this has happened before, just deal with it._

She tried to shake off the feeling, tried to block out her senses and _just fricking walk to class, it's not that hard._

Her thoughts were whirling, mixing with other people's as well. _There's Penis Parker again-s***, my homework-no way, she's just sound sensitive. No enhanced senses, no superpowers, nothing. _

Wait.

What?

Superpowers?

She couldn't bite back the small smirk that had crawled onto her face. If only this kid knew. If only he knew what she could do, what kind of everlasting punishment having superpowers put someone in.

From those thoughts, Avri was guessing he was either someone who was constantly on the lookout of superheroes, some kind of fanboy, or-

He had them too.

Just as the thought formed in her head, someone bumped into her, and it took everything Avri had not to scream. It was sudden, yes, but the touch vibrated through her body, acting like echolocation: going out and coming back to the point of origin.

"Oh! I'm sorry," the girl said, looking at Avri. The expression on her face and her disinterested tone suggested that she didn't really mean it, but her eyes said something different.

Her voice was… surprisingly nice. It wasn't harsh or anything, nothing grating and awful like other people, not echoing and stabbing her skull. But it was still too loud, way too loud, rising above the rest of the people chatting and walking as they headed to their next class.

Avri only shrugged and flapped her hand a little bit, trying to communicate that it was fine, and hurried off.

MJ stared after her in confusion before smiling. "She's totally in crisis."


	3. Can't Stop Thinking Of Your Diamond Mind

_I'm having a great time writing this! Thank you so much to the followers and favorites, I hope you like this!_

* * *

**02 | Can't Stop Thinking Of Your Diamond Mind**

Throughout the rest of his classes, Peter's mind kept drifting back to the girl. He didn't know anything about her other than her outward appearance and that she was sound sensitive. The thing was, he had a feeling it was more than just that. He couldn't describe it, not exactly. But it was like his spider-sense buzzed a little bit, not in warning, but in curiosity, whenever he thought about it. There was something more to her. Something not seen on the surface. Something hidden inside.

Peter scoffed at his own thoughts. He didn't even know her name, much less if she was willing to talk about any of this. Not that he would bring it up to her, that would just be awkward. Heck, he still had a superhero to find! One girl with sound sensitivity was not going to stand in the way of that!

"Peter Parker!"

Peter was snapped out of his thoughts by his teacher's voice. "Uh… 72?"

"That's correct, Peter," Mr. Cobbwell said, raising an eyebrow. "72 is the atomic number of hafnium. Flash, selenium."

"35, sir," Flash said.

"Incorrect. Ned?"

"34," Ned replied.

"Correct. Come on, people, you learned this in ninth grade," Mr. Cobbwell said, turning to someone else.

"Dude, what was that about?" Ned asked, leaning over to whisper.

"Sorry, I was just thinking," Peter told him, meeting his best friend's eyes.

"You've been thinking a lot lately," Ned said, looking at him skeptically. "You sure it's not something else?"

"No, Ned, I'm not sure," Peter whispered, and before his friend could respond, the bell went off.

"Okay, that wraps up class for today, and I think you'll be happy to know you don't have any homework!" Mr. Cobbwell said, smiling at the class as they grinned. A few people even cheered. "See you tomorrow!"

"What do you mean, you're not sure?" Ned hissed, glancing over his shoulder as they walked to their lockers.

"I don't know, Ned," Peter started, putting his books away. "My spider-sense keeps going off whenever I think of that one girl we saw at lunch? The one who's sound sensitive? It's not warning me of anything, it's more like… it's curious. And I don't know what that means." He sighed, looking down at his hand. The one that had been bit.

"Wait, who?"

"There was this one girl at lunch, blond hair, oversized sweatshirt? She's sound sensitive."

"Okay, your point is?"

"I don't know. Just… I'm going to talk to Mr. Stark," Peter said, closing his locker. "I'll see if I can talk to you tonight."

"Sounds good. Bye, Peter." Ned waved goodbye to Peter as the other teen walked out of the school. Happy was sitting in the car up front, and Peter slid in.

"Hey, Happy!" the teen said cheerfully, putting his backpack on the floor. "What's up?" Happy, per usual, offered no response as Peter rambled on about his day. Happy was listening, but not really paying attention until Peter mentioned something about his spider-sense.

"Hold on a second, what?" Happy said, interrupting him. They were almost at the compound, just a few minutes away. "What about your spidey-sense?"

"Yeah, it keeps buzzing whenever I think about that girl from lunch. It's not in warning, I can really only describe it as curious. I think there's something different about her," Peter told him, feeling it buzz again, a whisper though his body. "It just went on again."

"Sounds like you have a crush, kid," Happy said.

"What? No! It doesn't do that when I'm with MJ! I mean- s***." He sighed, realizing what he had just said.

Happy only smirked to himself, pleased that he had gotten something out of the kid besides the random things at school. But if this girl was setting off his spidey-sense… it might be something to be concerned about.

* * *

Avri swapped her gray hoodie out for a white one, her shorts for black leggings, carefully lowering the mask over her face and making sure the hood was secure before hiding her backpack and re-tightening her sneakers. Then, she slowly floated up into the air, feeling her fingers tingle with the powers. She knew it wasn't actually her fingers or hands doing anything, everything was from her mind, but that didn't stop the magic from softly creeping down to her palms and fingers, warming them with its presence.

She was still fighting off the sensory overload, exhausted from managing it at school. Hearing thoughts certainly didn't help, but she had to do this. Had to be Psych.

Suddenly, someone's fear coursed through her body. Avri perked up, trying to track the feeling down, connect it to the panicked thoughts that had started running through her head. She jumped from building to building, using her telekinesis to keep her aloft as she did so. The mugging was only a block down, and she quickly dropped down, landing on casually bent knees, the tips of her toes touching the ground.

The man turned at the sound of her landing, keeping the gun pointed at the woman, who was frantically digging through her purse. Avri winced a little at their thoughts, loud and bright, muddying her own.

"Psych," the man sneered. "Step away or I'll shoot her." The gun was sleek, black, glinting in the light. Avri cocked her head a little bit, smirking under her mask.

The woman took a step back, the man's attention on Avri. Her fingers twitched a little, and then the man shot.

The bang was earsplitting, ringing in Avri's ears, and suddenly she couldn't hear anything physical except for the sound of the bullet embedding itself in a brick wall. The man must have said something, but the ringing in her ears wasn't going away. From his thoughts, Avri could tell he was shocked, _how could I miss, the gun was aimed right at her, this brat has to step out of my way_, and his fist almost connected with her jaw.

But she was quick, stepping under his fist and driving her elbow into his throat from the side, throwing an uppercut at him and effectively knocking him out. His thoughts were quieter, moving quicker and Avri couldn't make complete sense of them.

A flash of movement appeared out of the corner of her eye and she turned, sighing when she realized it wasn't real. She should have been used to that by now.

The sounds of the real world came rushing back at her, including police sirens. Time to get out of here. But first, she had to make sure the woman was okay. Her thoughts were still moving quickly, but they were much calmer.

_Are you okay? _Avri asked her, projecting her thoughts into the woman's mind.

"I- I'm fine, I'm fine. Thank you so much," she said, tears starting to form in her brown eyes. "You saved my life."

Avri smiled from under the mask. _Keep an eye on him until the police get here. I'll stay up on the roof until they get here, okay?_ She felt bad for making the woman stay with the mugger, but she had to make sure he was put somewhere he couldn't hurt anyone.

"Of course," she said. "I don't think you have to fear the police, they're on the good side. Like you."

Avri quirked an eyebrow at that. _Remember what happened with Spider-Man before Mr. Stark made the statement?_

Her eyes widened. "Right, right." Avri nodded, the police were about fifteen seconds away. She carefully floated up to the rooftop, staying out of sight while the woman told the police what happened and, seeing the man put in the back of the car, disappeared from the scene.


	4. Make It Alright

_Thank you so much to Cinnabunnies5123, you've been such a huge supporter of my stories for a long time and I really appreciate it. _

_I planned out the next eight chapters for this, so hopefully I won't get stuck or anything._

_Enjoy! I don't own anything._

* * *

**03 | Make It Alright**

_"Another report of Psych has popped up in Queens this afternoon, the area that Spider-Man is often seen in. She successfully stopped a mugging that threatened to take the life of a woman. While it is still unknown what her alliances are, it is clear that she has good intentions."_

"I knew I should have gone on patrol!" Peter said, sitting up straighter.

"Relax, kid," Tony said, smiling affectionately at the teenager. "There will be plenty of other opportunities to find her."

"Yeah, yeah, it's just…" Peter trailed off, looking a little lost and uncertain.

"What is it?" Tony asked him.

"Me and Psych both do the same kind of thing- friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. I'm just worried that she might…" The last few words of his sentence were mumbled, and Tony didn't quite catch them.

"Sorry, Peter, what was that?" Tony asked, a little concerned.

"Replace me," he whispered.

"No, kid, no. No one will ever replace you, no matter what powers they have," Tony said, trying to reassure him.

"But I should be out there! Helping!" Peter exclaimed. "It's what I do!"

"You're also practically an Avenger," Tony reminded him. "You're at a higher level than Psych, so you have more responsibility."

Peter sighed. "I guess," he said, albeit reluctantly. Tony could tell he wasn't quite satisfied yet.

"Hey. Who started saving people with powers he didn't quite understand just because he wanted to help?" Tony asked, looking at Peter.

"Me?" Peter said, looking up at his mentor.

"Exactly. Who kept two pieces of a ferry- a FERRY- from falling into the water?"

"Uh… you?" Peter asked, unsure.

"No, kid, it was you. You literally tried pulling two pieces of a ferry together until I could get there. That's impressive. I don't know many other people who would do that and not look for another way out of the situation," Tony said sincerely. "And who went after the Vulture all by himself, took him down, and saved his life when he could have done something different?"

"I did," Peter said, sounding a little more confident.

"Who made the very mature decision to turn down an offer to join the Avengers?"

"Me!"

"I mean every single word right now, Peter," Tony said. "No one could ever replace you, even if they tried. You're so important to every single person on the team, and you're so important to me as well."

There were actual tears in Peter's eyes now. "Thank you, Mr. St- Tony."

Tony wrapped the teenager in a hug, relishing the way Peter melted into him. It was clear the teen had been wanting this for a long time, and Tony was enjoying it as well.

After a few seconds, they both let go. Peter was grinning, and Tony found that he couldn't get rid of the smile that was on his face.

"Okay. Let's get back to work," Tony said, after another few seconds. "We need to figure out how to find Psych."

"Right, right," Peter said.

"Any ideas?" Tony said, pulling out a notepad so he could write down Peter's ideas. The spiderling did best when thinking out loud, but he had a habit of forgetting what he had just said unless someone wrote it down.

"Well, I was thinking it would be fairly simple. Just stalk her on patrol," Peter offered with a small shrug of his shoulders.

If Tony had been drinking coffee, he would have done a spit take. "How can you sound so casual about stalking someone?!"

"Hey, you pretty much stalked me!" Peter said in defense.

"Okay. That's true," Tony admitted. "Why don't you try that out tomorrow then, and give me a report?"

"Sure," he said. "And if it doesn't work, we'll figure something else out."

"Right. Now, Happy said something about your spider-sense?"

Peter blushed. "Uh… yeah."

* * *

The world was spinning around Avri, everything too loud and too bright. The sensory overload was finally starting to take over, and Avri knew she had to make it home, fast.

Her fingertips seemed to throb as she jumped from rooftop to rooftop, every impact shuddering through her body. The cars honking and the general noise of New York was pouring into her, unbearably loud. People's thoughts were still slamming into her head, as if someone was hitting her with a sledgehammer over and over again.

Avri forced her eyes to stay open, working through it. She wasn't going to be able to help anyone, not in this state. She needed to get back home, let the overload run its course, and go back to this tomorrow.

She stumbled onto another rooftop, looking around to see how far away she was. Only a few blocks. She could do this. She could.

Avri crouched on the rooftop, covering her ears and closing her eyes for a few seconds, panting breaths like a hurricane in her ears. It hurt so much more than she was willing to admit, even to herself.

When she opened her eyes again, it was like the sun had just crashed into her. The light was blinding and she immediately closed her eyes again before adjusting her mask, closing the shutters almost all the way. The mask was pretty much a few layers of fine white mesh so her eyes were covered and a camera shutter type thing so if her senses were overwhelming her, Avri could handle it.

She gingerly opened her eyes again, letting out a relieved breath when her vision was a little bit dimmer than before. Then, she started paying attention to the thoughts of others in her head-_I'm so late-my dog needs walking-freaking homework_\- and let them all go. It was hard for her to do, considering she was constantly getting thoughts that weren't her own and that she had no control over, so she only saved it for when she really needed to. Like now.

When Avri finally felt okay enough to move again, she could feel every detail of the roof underneath her hands.

Going back home was a challenge, with all of her senses trying to pull her concentration away from using her telekinesis to keep her in the air, the ground swooping underneath her, but she managed to land on her rooftop and, after taking a quick break, open the window and finally collapse on her bed.

Avri let go of all means of control, succumbing to the overload and feeling everything overwhelm and wash over her. It felt like she was drowning in her senses.

_I hate this,_ she managed to think over the thoughts of other people, all demanding her attention. _I hate this so much._

And then Avri passed out.


	5. Standing There All Alone

_Thank you so much to blueeyedinnocene3 for the review, it means a lot to me! And also thank you for the advice, I'm not the best at fight scenes so that's something I need to work on. _

_I don't own anything except for Avri._

_Please review at the end, it would be really nice if you did._

* * *

**04 | Standing There All Alone**

The first thing that Peter noticed when he got to school the next day was that his spider-sense was buzzing, the same interested thrumming through his veins as before.

The second thing was that _she _was there.

Of course. Peter should have guessed from his spider-sense. It was unnerving, to be honest, that his spider-sense was going off around some random kid he hadn't even spoken to. But he knew there had to be a reason for it going off, and he was determined to get to the bottom of it.

"Peter Parker?"

"Here," he said, looking up at the teacher.

"Okay… Eugene Thompson?"

"Here," Flash responded, scowling at the use of his first name. Their homeroom teacher refused to call him by his nickname, for whatever reason.

Peter went back to his thoughts. Psych, she had showed up yesterday, stopped a few muggings from what he had heard on the news, and then disappeared. No one had the slightest idea of who she was, or even what all of her powers and abilities were.

All that people knew right now was that she had originated in Philadelphia but had moved up to New York a few months ago. She had managed to keep most of herself a secret, which was impressive. When Peter had started out as Spider-Man, people had quickly figured out what most of his powers were. They didn't know all of them, but most were out in the open.

But Psych…

She had telekinesis, that was obvious, but it was unclear if she could fly or simply levitating like Wanda had. Come to think of it, she was kind of similar to the Scarlet Witch, powers-wise.

The sound of the bell snapped him out of his thoughts yet again, before Peter could write any of it down and he tried to keep the thoughts fresh in his head so he wouldn't forget them as he walked to his next class, history with Ms. Berman.

"Peter!" Ned called, the two of them taking their regular seats. "Did you hear what happened with Psych yesterday?"

"Yeah, Ned, I did," Peter said, quickly writing down his thoughts. "I kind of have to know, because of… you know what."

"Right, I should have remembered. But it's still so exciting! Why does New York have so many superheroes anyway?" Ned mumbled the last part, as if it had just occurred to him.

"I have no idea," Peter said, suddenly wondering that too. Why were there so many superheroes in New York? Psych had started in Philadelphia, which _was_ the fifth biggest city in the United States. Why had she moved to New York? "That's something I'm going to have to think about later," he said to himself.

Peter didn't pay much attention to his morning classes, it was a weekend and the school year was almost over. Pretty much everything was review for finals, something Peter didn't need to worry too much about. Instead, he focused on writing down what he knew about Psych, such as her patrolling schedule, visible weaknesses, and strengths. The only thing that caught him slightly off guard was when Mr. Harrington called for a pop quiz, something he had forgotten about. The quiz was easy, and soon enough, it was lunch time.

The girl who kept setting off his spider-sense- god, he needed to find out her name- was sitting alone again, reading a book. Peter knew what it was like to be in that position, surrounded by people who didn't even care enough to sit with you or even make the effort to talk to you, and couldn't help but feel bad for her.

"Ned," Peter said, tapping his best friend on the arm.

"Yeah?" he asked, looking at his best friend. Peter, however, was staring at something, or rather, someone, else.

"You remember I told you about that girl who was setting off my spider-sense?" he asked, eyes still locked on her.

"Yeah, I remember that- oh. Is that her?" Ned asked, following Peter's line of vision.

"That's her. I think we should go sit with her," Peter said.

Ned furrowed his brow a little bit. "Dude, you can't just go up to her and say, 'Hey, you're setting off my spider-sense, can you tell me why?'."

"I'm not going to do that. I just think we should sit with her and maybe we could figure it out," Peter said. "And besides, she's alone."

Ned only shrugged. "Okay."

* * *

There were thoughts approaching Avri.

Okay, not just thoughts, people as well. But their thoughts reached out to her first, twisting into her head. It didn't hurt as much as yesterday, but they were still a bit loud. Avri could feel the curiosity of one, mixed with a little bit of sympathy and nervousness. The other one was simply curious. The voices of the thoughts in her head were quieter than most, which was nice. But one of them… she recognized it from yesterday…

"Uh… do you, um, mind if we sit here?"

Avri snapped out of her head, back into reality. There were two boys standing with their lunch trays in hand and backpacks over their shoulders. One was Filipino, with dark hair and the other was light-skinned and had wavy brown hair.

She nodded. "Thanks," the second one said, sitting down across from her. "So, uh, what's your name? I'm Peter, and this is Ned," he said hurriedly, introducing himself and his friend.

"I'm Avri," she said quietly, avoiding eye contact with both of them. She really, really did not want to be talking right now, but it would just be rude to not answer, and that wasn't normal behavior anway.

"Audrey?" he asked.

"Avri," she said a little louder.

"Avri. Got it. Okay," Peter said, smiling a little bit at her. His nervousness was rising, even starting to turn into anxiety.

Not that Avri was unfamiliar with anxiety.

_Stick to the script,_ she reminded herself. Except the script was gone. She hadn't ever really corrected anyone if they said her name incorrectly, usually just brushing it off. Someone would correct them eventually, but this kid… why had she corrected herself for him? He was some kid she had just met, some random person who just showed up at her lunch table.

His thoughts came towards her again. _I'm messing this up so badly right now, this was a bad idea…_

Ned, the other boy, was only paying attention to the conversation, but wasn't really saying anything. Avri's eyes flicked up to meet Peter's and immediately went back to her book. This was awkward. Everything was awkward. She was awkward, plain and simple.

"What book is that?"

Frick, she had been lost in her own thoughts and hadn't been paying attention to other people's. This voice was familiar too, the same girl she had bumped into yesterday. Okay, script, people would respond with the book title.

"Ender's Game," she said, blushing.

"Cool," MJ said. Her thoughts were pretty disinterested, matching her emotions perfectly.

_I still have no idea why my spider-sense is going off._

Avri's eyes widened.

The thought was from Peter.


	6. Keep You In The Dark

_Thank you to blueeyedinnocene3 for the review! As for your question, she has enhanced senses and something else that will be revealed later that causes her to have sensory overload. She was coming off the sensory overload, so she was still a bit sensitive, but she doesn't always have it. _

_I hope you enjoy this chapter! I'm starting camp this week and then have a family trip so updates might be sporadic._

* * *

**05 | Keep You In The Dark**

"Hey, Karen," Peter said. He was fully dressed in his suit and casually swinging around the city, waiting for something to come up.

"Hello, Peter," the AI responded. "How are you doing today?"

"Pretty good," he responded. "You?"

"As well as an AI can do."

He nodded. "Karen, I have a question."

"What is it?"

"You know about Psych, right?" he asked, yelping as a pigeon almost flew into him.

"I do. I am also aware that you were assigned to figure out her identity," Karen told him, almost sounding interested.

"Yeah. Would you happen to have any ideas of where she might be?"

"Not at the moment, but I will alert you if there are any sightings. There is also a robbery about three blocks from here, if you would like to take care of that."

"Thanks, Karen," Peter said, following her directions to where the robbery was. Three men, all armed with knives, guns, and cruel grins. They were robbing a store, demanding the cashiers to give them the money.

"Hey, sharing is caring, folks," Peter said, "why don't you share and let them have the money for a little bit?"

"They've already had their turn," one of the men sneered, aiming the gun at Peter.

"I think you need a time out!" Peter said, shooting a web at the gun and yanking it out of his hand. One of the other men turned around and threw a knife at him, slicing through his web. Peter used the fall to his advantage, knocking the first man to the ground with the momentum.

The two men who were still standing- one of which still had his knife- should have known better than to try and fight Spider-Man, but they didn't. One of them tried throwing a punch, but Peter's spider-sense was alerted to it before the now-familiar soft buzz ran through him again. He barely managed to dodge the punch through his sudden shock, allowing the robber to hit his arm.

"Peter, it seems Psych is near you," Karen informed him. Peter couldn't respond, though, because of these freaking robbers in front of him.

"Ha!" he crowed, taking another swing at Peter. This time, Peter shot his webs towards the ceiling and pulled himself up, doing a clean backflip and webbing the man to the floor. That left the man with the knife- oh, and the first man was advancing on him.

Peter made quick work of both of them, watching out of the corner of his eye as people were ushered out of the building by none other than Psych. All he had to do was web the men up. By the time all three men were out of commission, the police were there and arrested them.

"Yeah, I'm okay," someone said. Peter turned around to see who was speaking. It was one of the cashiers, talking to Psych, but the other superhero wasn't talking out loud. "Are you working with Spider-Man?"

Psych must have done something to communicate because the cashier nodded. "Okay. Got it. Thank you again!"

Peter watched to make sure that the police were taking the men away before approaching the enigmatic superhero. "Hey," he greeted, looking at her. She was shorter than he was, with a similar mask to his original. "Thanks for helping out."

_No problem,_ someone said, but it didn't seem like a physical sound. _Sorry, sorry. _

"What are you doing?" Peter asked her, confused.

_I'm projecting my thoughts into your head. I… don't prefer talking, so I do this instead. _She shrugged. _Most people don't notice, because of adrenaline or whatever, but if it's uncomfortable I can stop._

"No, it's fine," Peter said. "Um… I guess I should go? Unless you want to patrol together?"

_Whatever you want._

"Okay… I guess I'll see you around?"

_Probably._

Peter smiled, swinging out of the building and hiding behind a roof access doorway on the roof. He was waiting for Psych to reemerge so he could- ahem- _stalk_ her. Not in a creepy way, just a I-want-to-know-who-you-are way. Okay, maybe that was a little creepy. Just a little.

After a few seconds, Psych did come out of the building, levitating herself onto the rooftop. Putting a hand to her temple, she ducked her head for a moment, like she was sensing something. Suddenly, her head snapped up and she turned left, heading in that direction.

Peter smiled under his mask. Time to see who she was and what she could do.

* * *

Avri felt the fear first. It was always the fear, drowning out her other emotions, replacing them with someone else's. She had gotten so used to feeling other people's emotions she barely knew what her own were anymore. Clairsentience sucked like that.

But it was helpful at the same time too. Paired with her claircognizance, they were like a warning signal. Like Peter's spider-sense.

She still couldn't believe that a high-school kid was Spider-Man. Well, she was also in high school and Psych, so…

The encounter with him earlier had left her thinking. His thoughts were pretty focused on the robbers, and then finding her identity for S.H.I.E.L.D. Great. In fact, Avri knew he was following her by the way his thoughts were swirling into her mind right now.

She shook her head, clearing it and closing her eyes, pausing on a rooftop for a second. Distant memories popped up into her head, car crashes, screaming, _I want you to do it. Let me go._

She gasped, sharp pain stabbing through her stomach. But there was no time for any of that, no reliving the moments. There was a car crash happening soon, and Avri had to stop it. She could never explain why, she always just… _knew_ it was going to happen.

Avri stood up again, clenching her jaw against the flood of memories that threatened to break her concentration. Two blocks up, a minute and a half away. Black Lexus.

She hurried off, ignoring Peter's emotions right now. There was something else more important. Avri was there in less than a minute, her own panic mixing with the driver's. His brake wasn't working properly, his thoughts racing. She steeled herself, making sure she was grounded on the sidewalk before he approached, a car sliding through a traffic light and there he was-

Avri slowed him down, stopping the car a second before a crash would have ensued. Breathing a sigh of relief, she sent him a mind message to _check his brakes_ and heading back up to the rooftops.

_I know you're there, Spider-Man,_ she said. _You can come out of hiding._ Some guilt played with her, along with… how could she describe it… impressed? Peter was impressed with her?

"Hey," he said, "how'd you know I was there?"

She tapped the side of her head. _I can hear your thoughts._

"Oh… uh… can you control it?" She shrugged, not ready to let him know that she knew who he was.

_Look, Spider-Man, we both have jobs to do. And I'm not letting you know my identity. You prefer to keep yours a secret, and I do too. And trust me, it's better for you and for me if you don't know who I am. Just leave me alone, okay? Please,_ she told him, not wanting to come off as rude. _Stop stalking me. It's creepy._ With that, she jumped off the roof and was gone again.


	7. Peter Should Know Better

_Yeah, this is two chapters in one day. I don't like this one that much, but hey, it's going somewhere. Enjoy!_

* * *

**06 | Peter Should Know Better**

Peter looked over the edge of the rooftop. He couldn't see Psych at all, and his spider-sense was tingling. Not in danger, and it definitely wasn't buzzing like it had earlier. This was more like something was happening… to him. But he had no idea what it was.

He sighed. It hadn't worked out like he had expected to. But hey, how was he supposed to know she could hear _thoughts_?

_Can you control it?_ he remembered himself asking. All he got was a shrug in response. Did she… did she know who he was? His real identity?

And what the heck was that, when she had been crouching on the roof, gasping like she had just seen the world end? There were so many things Peter wanted to know about her, but Psych was just so mysterious. Nothing he thought that he knew about her was real, other than the hard facts. But even those she hadn't confirmed.

Peter's mind was spinning with the weight of it all. Why had S.H.I.E.L.D. put _him_ in charge? He was just a kid in high school. One of the other Avengers would have been a better choice, like Natasha. Her spy skills would have been so useful. Wanda might have also been helpful, considering she and Psych had many of the same powers. But the two had pretty much disappeared after what happened with the Accords.

He should have known that simply stalking her wasn't going to do anything.

Peter sighed again. "Karen, can you call Tony?"

"Of course, Peter," she said, and Tony picked up after two rings.

"Hey, Underoos. How did it go?" he asked.

"Um… not how I expected it to," Peter answered.

"Tell me what happened," Tony said, listening as Peter explained how he had thwarted the robbery and that Psych had showed up to help. After that, he had exited and followed her, watched her stop a car crash, and then have her announce that she knew he was following her.

"And she said she could hear my thoughts, Tony!" Peter said, eyes wide behind the mask. "She can hear. My. Thoughts!"

"I heard you, kid," Tony said. "She sounds like a tougher case than we originally anticipated. What powers do you know she has?"

"Well, not all of them are clear, but she has telepathy, telekinesis, levitation or flight, and, um, that's all I really know," Peter admitted.

"That's it?" Tony asked him. "That's all you got from your encounter?"

"Hey! She doesn't talk much! And I have suspicions of other things," Peter said. "She had this weird moment before she went off to the street-"

"You told me about that too. I have no idea what it could be. Some kind of future sight, maybe?" Tony suggested.

Peter let out a frustrated huff. "I don't know! She's so confusing! Why did you even put me in charge? I'm just a kid! I don't know how to do this!" He heard Tony take a few breaths before speaking again.

"I believe in you, Peter," he told the teenager. "I know you can do this. And I told you, you have the Avengers- well, the ones who signed the Accords- on your side! And S.H.I.E.L.D.! We're all willing to help you with this."

"Yeah, but-" He was interrupted by Karen speaking.

"Peter, incoming call from Nick Fury," she said calmly.

"Sounds like you should take that," Tony said. "We'll talk more either tonight, or tomorrow, okay?"

"Yeah, sounds good," Peter said. "Bye, Tony."

"Mr. Parker," Fury said as soon as Peter accepted the call. "I am aware that you talked to Psych today."

"Yeah, uh, I did," he said.

"Did you gain any new information?"

"No, not really," Peter said. "She's kind of hard to communicate with."

"What do you know about her so far?" Fury asked, sounding a little impatient.

"Uh… she has telepathy and telekinesis, she can fly or levitate or something like that. Psych also doesn't like talking, so she projects her thoughts into other people's heads," Peter told him. "And, um, I think she has some kind of future sight."

"That's it?" Fury said. "You haven't even gotten any hints as to who she is?"

"No…" Peter said, his voice small as he spoke again. "She also knows I'm going for her identity."

Peter could hear Fury sigh on the other end of the line. "So you screwed it up."

"Yes," he said meekly.

"Okay." Peter could almost hear him throwing his hands to the side. "Are you going to keep trying?"

"Of course!" Peter said, "I'm not giving up on her! There are other ways to figure it out! Like put one of the spy bugs on her…"

"You're figuring it out," Fury said. "I'm going to let you think this out." The call dropped.

* * *

Avri smiled a little as she headed home, thankfully without the world spinning around her this time. She had managed to stop a few more muggings along with helping Spider-Man out with the robbery and stopping the possible car crash. It felt good to be able to help people.

Her mood darkened a little when she thought about Peter. It was painfully obvious that he was gunning for her identity, along with a lot of other people. Unfortunately for her, he had connections and S.H.I.E.L.D. was probably finding everything they could about Psych at the moment. She knew the risks, but it was similar to Philadelphia. There weren't many other heroes- none, in fact- over there, and people had been persistent in figuring out who she was. She had taken to manipulating people's senses in order to keep it a secret.

Avri felt bad about having to do it to Peter earlier, but she had to prevent him from seeing her. The memories had flooded back and they were choking her, mask too tight around her throat, no air entering her lungs, blackness threatening to take over her brain…

She had used her last bit of concentration to manipulate his senses, make herself invisible in his eyes, before pulling off her mask and sucking down fresh air. Well, as fresh as city air could get. Avri pushed the memories away, not wanting to relive the death of her parents and brother.

After pulling on her normal clothes and stuffing her sweatshirt and leggings in her backpack, she started walking home. She'd lived there with her uncle for about two months now and still hadn't even met her neighbors. All she knew was that there were two people, a woman and a boy about her age.

"Avri!" her Uncle Kenric said, smiling as she stepped in. "Hey, how was school?" Avri could feel that he was genuinely interested, not faking it like he had a few times in the past. His facial expressions had been different now that she thought back to it, but she still couldn't tell, even now, and relied on her clairsentience.

"It wasn't bad," she mumbled. "I, uh, talked to some people today." She blinked a couple times. Now that the sensory overload had fully passed, even the little bit from the morning worn off, she was back to stimming.

"Really?" he asked, a little bit surprised and mostly happy. "That's great! Who?"

"Peter, Ned, and one other girl," she told him.

"Great. That's awesome," he said, high-fiving her. "Wait, you said Peter?"

She nodded.

"Do you know his last name by any chance?"

Avri nodded again. "It's Parker."

"Oh. Well, that's good."

"Why?"

Uncle Kenric smiled at her. "He's your neighbor."


	8. What Are You Wondering What Do You Know?

_I just wanted to start by saying I'm sorry I've been gone for a little while. I had camp. Anyway, here's the next chapter! If you review, it would be greatly __appreciated! I don't own anything. The chapter title should be _What Are You Wondering? What Do You Know? _but I didn't have enough characters._

* * *

**07| What Are You Wondering? What Do You Know?**

He had only gotten home a few minutes ago and found Aunt May desperately doing some last-minute cleaning of their apartment. "May? Uh, is someone coming over or something?"

"Yes! We're finally getting the chance to meet our neighbors! You remember how they moved in a month ago? They're coming over, and the girl, I think her name is Avery? Audrey? Something like that. She's around your age, and since it's a weekend, we decided that you two could have a sleepover!" May said, eyes wide.

"That was a lot of information all at once," Peter said, backing up a little. "I guess I'll clean my room then."

"Yeah, that's a good idea," she said, spraying the coffee table with cleaner and wiping it down. Peter went into his room and looked at it, putting the dirty clothes on the floor into the hamper and straightening up his desk. There wasn't much he could do about the web shooters on his desk, the ones he was working on…

"D***it," he muttered, carefully putting the project away in a desk drawer, closing it a second before the doorbell rang. He heard May opening the door, welcoming the neighbors in, and did one more quick check of his room. Nothing related to Spider-Man. Good. Peter walked out into the living room, curious to see who they were.

He didn't expect to see Avri standing in his apartment.

Her hair was covering her face, a different book tucked under her arm and her backpack slung over her shoulder, a sleeping bag hanging loosely from her hand. A tall man with graying hair, probably Avri's dad, was talking to May, while Avri stood slightly off to the side.

"Oh! Peter!" she said, noticing him. "Here, this is Kenric Hill," she said. The man stuck out his hand and Peter shook it, a little nervous. "And this is Avri."

"Uh, I know her. I sat with her at lunch," Peter said. "With Ned and MJ also. Sort of," he added, blushing nervously.

"Avri said so," Kenric said, nodding. "I'm pleased she's reaching out to people." Avri ducked her head a little, gripping her forearm tightly, fingers twitching.

"So you and Peter sat together at lunch? That's nice," May said, trying to get Avri to respond. Kenric leaned over and whispered something to May, and his aunt's mouth fell open in sudden understanding. "Peter, want to show Avri around? If you don't mind?"

"Sure," Peter said, shrugging. May mouthed something Peter didn't understand, so he just nodded like he did and turned to Avri. "Uh, hey."

"Hi," she mumbled, avoiding meeting his eyes. She did look up for a brief moment, long enough for Peter to see that she had teal eyes. He couldn't describe them exactly, but they were cold. Not mean, but protective. Hiding something. Hiding everything.

"Um, so this is the kitchen and living room," he said, motioning around them. "That's the dining room, Aunt May's room is over there, and my room is that way. It's not that big, and you probably have a similar setup, right?" Avri nodded, blinking hard.

"Where are we sleeping?" she asked quietly.

"Oh. Uh, I don't know," he said. "May?"

"Yeah?" she said, looking at him.

"Are we sleeping in my room or the living room?" he asked.

"Did you clean off your top bunk?" May asked, raising an eyebrow.

"…No," Peter said, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.

"Then living room it is!" May exclaimed, smiling at Peter.

"Okay, so I guess you can set up? I'll be right back, I have to grab my sleeping bag," Peter said, smiling a little at her before going to the closet. She shyly returned it, looking at him again for a second. He was a little nervous about leaving her in the living room alone. Not because he was worried she would break something, he just felt like a bad host.

As fast as he could, Peter went back to the living room with his sleeping bag tucked under his arm. Avri hadn't moved at all except for the gentle swaying she was doing, her feet planted on the ground. His eyes flickered up, trying to meet hers, but she ducked her vision before he could.

"Avri, have you had dinner yet?" May asked from the kitchen.

She shook her head, and, when Peter realized she wasn't going to offer any other communication besides that, Peter said, "she hasn't."

"Okay! I was thinking I could make spaghetti? Is that okay?" May walked into the room.

Avri nodded, still swaying. May gave Peter a look that said _set your stuff up_ and he obeyed, rolling his eyes as May walked out of the room again.

"So, uh, just put your bag down wherever," Peter said, rubbing the back of his neck. The whole situation was pretty awkward. Peter knew about people being shy, but Avri was barely talking. Her behavior was also a little weird, with the blinking and swaying and such. It was like… like she was…

"Oh, Peter?" Kenric asked. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Uh, yeah," Peter said, sure he was about to get the don't-let-anything-happen-to-her lecture. But what Kenric said next surprised him.

"I'm not quite sure if you know this, but Avri's autistic," he said, and Peter blinked in confusion and sudden understanding. "Yeah. I've been trying to get her to branch out a little bit, and seeing as you go to school together and are our neighbors, I thought this was a good opportunity."

"That makes sense," Peter said, smiling.

"Thank you for understanding," Kenric said. "She's always had some trouble fitting in because of it, and you're a great kid from what your aunt's told me. If you need help with… handling-" Kenric winced at that "-Avri, just call me."

"Of course," May agreed, stepping in. "Is there anything we need to know about her?"

"Well, she's going to stim. Basically stimulating herself so that she gets enough sensory input," he explained, noticing May's confused expression. "Avri's pretty quiet, but if she does talk, she's going to try and stick to a script. Socially acceptable answers and behavior. Just be patient with her if you throw her off. That's the basics, but like I said, if you need help or information, just call me." He smiled. "Thank you again."

"It's no problem," Peter and May said at the same time. Peter nodded a little as he stepped back to where Avri was, noticing her behavior more now that he knew she was on the spectrum. The swaying was probably stimming, along with the blinking. Avoiding eye contact, something Peter knew was uncomfortable for people like her. The lack of communication.

"Ri," Kenric said. Avri turned to him, backpack still over her shoulder, book tucked under her arm, and sleeping bag in her hand. "Be good, okay? And have fun." He hugged her, then left the apartment.

* * *

Avri didn't like this.

Not at all.

It was disrupting the normal routine that she had. Get home at 4:30, do homework, practice on the roof, have dinner at 6, clean the dishes, shower, hang out with Kenric, and then go to sleep at 9:15.

And now she was at Peter's apartment.

Without Kenric.

She blinked nervously, fingers wrapped tight around her forearm, twitching. Avri could feel the anxiety pouring off of Peter, his thoughts running around the fact that she was autistic. She could feel it from his aunt May as well, though it was much less. There was also some excitement and a little bit of worry from her. _What happens if she doesn't talk at all? What if I say the wrong thing? What would happen if I ask about her-_

Parents.

Avri could feel her own anxiety rising and took in a few silent breaths, blinking harder. She and Peter were still standing in the room together, and she did not need to have a panic attack right in front of him, not when her uncle had just told them she was autistic. Their thoughts were still drifting into her mind, all very similar.

"He told us," Peter blurted, staring right at Avri. "Sorry, that was rude."

"It's fine," Avri said quietly.

"Uh, is it okay if I ask a few questions? Just to know what you're comfortable with," Peter said, looking nervous as he started setting up his sleeping bag. Avri copied him, nodding in response. She braced herself, sometimes the questions could get rude or just plain weird. His thoughts were a little worried, wondering how she was going to react.

Peter looked at her. "I heard some autistic people don't like being touched. Are you okay with it or not?" He was nervous. About talking. With _her_.

Scripted response. "I don't prefer being touched, but I'll tolerate it." Avri set her backpack down next to her sleeping bag, unzipping it as she did so. She tugged at a lock of hair that was in her face.

"Are there any things that bother or annoy you that we can avoid?" he said, and Avri blinked for a second. Almost no one asked this. Peter was getting confused, _why is she hesitating, I just threw her off, didn't I?_

"Um…" she said, not sure how to respond. Avri wasn't prepared for this, it was rare that someone actually asked a question to make sure that she could be comfortable. "It's, uh, complicated."

Peter nodded. "Okay. Just tell me or May if something happens." He stood up, straightened his sleeping bag one more time, looked down, and screamed.

Avri startled at the sudden noise, flinching away and putting her hands over her ears. May came running into the room, concern and worry leaping off of her. "What happened?" she asked, eyes wide.

"THERE'S A SPIDER!" Peter shrieked, pointing to the floor. Avri couldn't help but grin.

"Where?" May asked, and Peter pointed again, yelling as it started crawling towards him.

"Cool," Avri said, approaching it. "I've never seen this type in real life. It looks like a scytodes thoracica." She picked it up. "Yeah, looks like it."

Peter was watching her, wide-eyed in fear. "What the he...ck?" he said, grimacing as Avri let the spider crawl onto her arm. _I almost cursed..._

"Where's a window?" she asked. "I want to take him outside."

Peter hesitantly lead Avri to his bedroom, opening the window and then furiously backpedaling as she held it out. She smirked in amusement. Spider-Man, afraid of spiders.

"What kind did you say it was?" Peter asked, his voice shaking a little.

"Scytodes thoracica. Also known as the spitting spider," Avri informed him. "I really don't want him to spit on me, because it's venomous, so we have to get him outside." She stuck her hand out the window, putting the spider on a brick wall.

"HE'S VENOMOUS?" Peter yelled, causing Avri to wince again. "Sorry. But you just picked up a venomous spider."

"Actually, he's not venomous. But what he spits is. I should probably wash my hands just in case…" Avri said, looking around.

"The bathroom is over here." Peter showed Avri where it was, waiting outside while she washed her hands. "So…"

"Kenric's afraid of spiders too," she said, shrugging.

"I take it you like spiders?" Peter said as they walked back to the living room, sitting down on their sleeping bags.

"All bugs, really. Well, all animals." She smiled, pulling gently at her hair again and blinking.

"So if there's another bug you'll just pick it up?" Peter asked.

"And take it outside, yeah," Avri said, fidgeting with a hair tie around her wrist. It was better than pulling her hair, she tended to get a little… aggressive, using that stim. "Do you have any hobbies?"

He laughed. _If only she knew. _"I like building computers and other tech, I, um, play with LEGOs-" he blushed a little "-and I have a Stark internship."

Avri's eyes widened. "Really? That's so cool!"

Peter grinned. _Finally, someone who believes me._ "Yeah, it's pretty fun. I get to work on projects with Tony. He even let me work on the Iron Man armor, which was super cool."

"That sounds so fun," she said. "You must be pretty close to him if you call him Tony."

Peter laughed at that. "He kept insisting that I call him that instead of Mr. Stark."

Avri smiled too. This was easy. So much easier than other interactions. She always hid herself under masking, using layers of it until she didn't even know who she really was anymore. Sure, she knew her interests and passions, but she didn't know what her real personality was.

Peter was bringing it out, with his easy conversation and open disposition. He was peeling back the layers, letting the light shine on the real Avri.

And she loved it.


	9. Call Me Friend But Keep Me Closer

_So, I thought the other chapter was short, but it wasn't, and I realized my chapters have started getting a little longer, and I'm sorry. The sleepover was originally going to be two chapters, but now it's three. I've also planned out the story until chapter fourteen, and it doesn't even end there. Enjoy this new crap, I still own nothing. Except for Avri._

* * *

**08 | Call Me Friend But Keep Me Closer**

"So, Avri," May said, swallowing her food. "How long have you been living with your uncle?"

"Since I was seven. So half of my life," she said. Peter glanced at her. That was pretty much the same as him.

"And your aunt? Is she away?"

"She's dead," Avri said plainly, twirling her spaghetti around her fork.

Peter inhaled sharply. Their pasts seemed so similar already… it was kind of creepy. He gave May a look that said, _don't ask about her parents._

"Do you have any hobbies?" May asked her, trying to steer the conversation a different way.

Avri nodded. "I do dance." Peter could tell she was uncomfortable by the short, clipped answers she was giving. But May wasn't really picking up on that.

"Do you take classes somewhere?" she asked.

"I practice on the roof," Avri mumbled, eyebrows knit together in frustration. May finally got the hint and stopped asking Avri questions, taking her dishes to the sink. Peter finished his second helping, following after May. Avri did as well, but kept her distance until May had stepped away from the sink and then stood next to Peter, cleaning out her bowl as Peter dried his own.

"Sorry about that," Peter whispered to her.

She shrugged, flapping a hand around to communicate that it was fine. Peter and Avri had gone over some of her nonverbal communication, just in case. Turns out it had been useful.

They walked back into the living room, Avri's fingers twitching as she clutched onto her forearms in the same manner as before. "Your aunt isn't really the most… approachable person," she said once they were out of her earshot. "Sorry."

"No, you're fine. We should have respected your boundaries more," Peter said. "So, you really practice dance on the roof?"

She laughed a little. "Yeah. I don't have any place to take lessons, so I basically taught myself off of research, YouTube, and World Of Dance."

"Are you any good?" Peter asked.

She shrugged. "I'm okay." Avri held Peter's gaze for a few seconds, her teal eyes staring right into his soul. They had… depth, like she knew so much more than she let on.

"I do a little bit of dance as well," Peter told her.

"That's cool. I don't know a lot of guys who dance." Avri frowned. "Well, I don't know many people in general."

"Well, I've learned a lot about you. It's your turn," Peter offered. "Ask me any questions you want."

"Oh, uh…" she said, trying to come up with something. "I don't know. What's your family situation like?"she asked, wincing immediately after. "Sorry, that was rude. I don't want to pry-"

"It's fine," Peter said. "You told me a little about yours. My parents died in a plane crash when I was six, so I went to live here with my Aunt May and Uncle Ben. But then… Uncle Ben was shot." He ducked his head.

"I'm sorry," Avri whispered.

He shrugged. "Yeah."

Avri blinked a few times. "So… what do people do at sleepovers?"

Peter shrugged. "Watch movies? Play truth or dare? Do pranks? I don't really know."

Avri shrugged back at him. "What's your fandom?"

"My what?" Peter asked, confused.

"Fandom. You know, movie or book series that you're really into and have a bunch of merchandise from?"

"Okay, one, I almost never hear someone say merchandise anymore. Everyone says merch. Two, it's Star Wars," Peter said.

She nodded. "It's not a bad fandom, but the new movies are kind of crap."

"Solo wasn't bad, but I agree," Peter said. "What's yours?"

"My main one is Divergent, but I'm actually more into music stuff. I have a bunch of music posters and stuff in my room," she said, smiling.

"Who are you into?" Peter asked.

"I like a lot of music, really. Have you heard of Billie Eilish?" she asked, and Peter shook his head. "What?"

He shrugged. "I'm more into Imagine Dragons and Fall Out Boy, that kind of stuff."

"They're not bad," Avri said. "I do have this, though," she said, pulling out and MP3 player.

"You have an MP3?" Peter asked. "People still have those?"

Avri laughed. "Yeah, I don't have a phone yet." She scrolled through it. "It's a SanDisk Sansa Fuze, I've had it since I was little. Here." She pressed the button in the middle, handing Peter the headphones.

"And she still has double wired headphones. This is amazing," Peter said. "Seriously, you have stuff that no one uses anymore. Everyone uses AirPods, or earbuds, or wireless headphones. Or headphones with one wire."

Avri blushed, shrugging. He picked up the headphones, putting them on. "Okay, go."

* * *

Avri smiled, pushing the button in the middle of her scroll wheel. _idontwannabeyouanymore _started playing through the headphones, and she watched as Peter's face took on a shocked expression.

"How much autotune does she use?" he asked, disbelieving.

"That's a live version," she said.

"What? There's no way," he said. "Seriously?"

Avri nodded. "Yeah."

"That's crazy. I'm getting her music now," Peter said, going onto his phone. Avri laughed, pausing the music.

"She's ridiculously talented. And she's only seventeen."

Peter stared at her. "She's _seventeen?_"

Avri nodded.

"That's… that's insane," Peter said. "Wow."

She grinned at him. "Yeah, she's awesome."

"Welp, I'm never going to hear normal music the same way again," Peter said, stating it plainly.

"You haven't even tried 9D audio and up," Avri said.

"You're going to have to show me that tomorrow," Peter said. "I have an idea."

"What is it?" Avri asked, trepidation and excitement running through her veins. But it was her own this time. Her own feelings. "Oh, wow."

"What? I didn't say anything yet," Peter said, confused. Her own emotions went away again, filled with Peter's.

"Sorry, I was just thinking," she said.

"Okay. So, I thought that we could prank call my friends MJ and Ned," Peter said.

"You were sitting with me, right? You and Ned?" Avri asked, and Peter nodded as confirmation.

"MJ was the one who asked you about your book," Peter said, grinning.

"Okay. So, should I call them because they probably have you in their contacts?" Avri asked.

"Yeah, we'll make the calls from your phone, but I can do the talking if you want. You can record it on my phone," Peter said.

Avri grinned too. "Sure!" Peter unlocked his phone, handing it to Avri and letting her start recording.

Peter typed Ned's number in first. "_Hello?"_ Ned asked from the other side of the line. "_Who is this?"_

"To talk to a customer, please press one," Peter said in an automated voice.

There was a boop from the other side of the line.

Peter and Avri both started laughing, and Ned yelled, "_Peter?"_

"Hey, Ned," Peter said.

"_Did you just prank call me? Wait, that means that you're having a sleepover. Is MJ there? MJ?"_

"No, I'm with Avri. Turns out she's my neighbor," Peter said.

"Hi," Avri called, blinking hard.

"_Hi, Avri," _Ned greeted. "_Seriously, Peter. That was just weird."_

Peter shrugged. "It was fun. We have to go prank MJ now, so… bye!" He hung up and Avri stopped recording. Turning to Avri, he said, "that was fun."

Avri nodded. "It was."

His thoughts were focused on what they were going to do with MJ next, his emotions excited and a little bit nervous. "MJ's probably going to yell at us."

"It'll be worth it though, right?" Avri asked.

"Yep." Avri started recording again as Peter put in MJ's number. "Hello, we're calling to confirm your order."

"_What order?" _MJ asked, sounding confused.

"You ordered three pizzas, two pepperoni and one Hawaiian. Is this correct?"

"_You sound just like Peter Parker," _she said, now annoyed.

Peter paused. "Uh… is your order correct, yes or no?"

"_Peter, I know it's you. Why are you prank calling me? Is Ned with you?"_

"Please answer the question, Michelle Jones. Is your order correct?"

"_Peter, I swear to Thor, I will come over to your house and muder you and Ned,"_ MJ threatened. Peter gulped.

"Please don't kill me," he said.

"_I won't. So, who's over at your apartment? Ned?"_ she asked.

"No. You remember Avri? From lunch? What book were you reading?" he asked, turning to Avri.

"Ender's Game," she said.

"She was reading Ender's Game," Peter told MJ.

"_Ender's Game! Hey, Demosthenes!" _she called.

Avri smiled. "Locke."

"I'm sorry, am I missing something?" Peter said.

"_Yes_," Avri and MJ said at the same time.

"_Anyway, nice attempt at a prank call. I'll see you on Monday, loser." _With that, MJ hung up.

"That was kind of a flop," Peter said.

"Here," Avri said, handing him back his phone. "What do you want to do next?"

"We could go on the roof and try to show each other up with dance moves," Peter suggested, grinning.

Avri smiled. "Why not?" she asked, pushing the hood of her sweatshirt back. Her hands were covered by the long sleeves, the fleece rubbing against her skin. It was nice.

Peter's excitement suddenly rose. _I didn't think she was actually going to go for it! _"Let me go tell May, and then you'll have to show me what you can do."


	10. Need A Place To Hide

_Hey! Welcome back! So I think that this is a really important chapter, it shows a lot more about Avri and it lets her get vulnerable as well. More of this will be explored later, but I really hope you enjoy this! The chapter title is really_ Need A Place To Hide But I Can't Find One Near_,_ _but I ran out of characters again. __Thanks fo__r the support, and it would really mean a lot if you left a review! _

* * *

**09 | Need A Place To Hide But I Can't Find One Near**

Peter woke to a rhythmic banging.

His spider-sense was going off, telling him that something was wrong. He frowned. His spider-sense had always warned him of danger in the past, and now, with Avri, there was something happening to it.

"Avri?" he whispered. "Avri?" It was pitch black, but he could see a little bit with his enhanced vision, picking up on the little bits of light. "Avri?"

He reached a hand out towards where her sleeping bag was, checking to make sure she was okay. Groping through the darkness, all he could feel was her sleeping bag and air. She wasn't there.

_Maybe she just went to the bathroom, _he thought. But that didn't explain the banging sound. Peter sat up, looking around the room. That when he saw it.

There was a figure standing next to the wall.

His spider-sense was still telling him that something was wrong, but that he wasn't in danger.

The banging continued, each one coming when the figure leaned forward. Peter reached out, his fingers brushing against the lamp and he turned it on. The room flooded with light, causing Peter to wince a little and squint. Standing up, he walked over to the figure.

"Avri?" he asked softly, looking at her. Tears were streaming down her face, dripping onto her hoodie. She was taking in short, choking breaths, banging her head against the wall. "Avri, wake up."

Peter winced each time the _thunk _ran through the room, confused as to what was happening. "Avri, come on," he said, pulling her away from the wall. "Avri."

She was still crying, fingers tightening and loosening around her forearms, shuddering. Her eyes were shut tightly, face in a pained expression. "May?" he called, hands on her shoulders. "May!"

His aunt walked out of her room, dressed in a t-shirt and sweatpants. "Peter? What is it?" she asked, looking worried.

He motioned to Avri, and May's eyes widened. "What happened?" she asked.

"I don't know, I just woke up and found her like this," Peter said, concerned. "She was banging her head against the wall, I had to pull her away."

"I'm going to call Kenric," May said, shooting a worried glance at Avri before going to get her phone. "Get her to the couch and see if you can wake her up."

Peter nodded, looking at Avri worridley. He carefully picked her up, surprised at how light she was, and carried her over to the couch. "Avri, come on, wake up," he said, "Avri!"

She gasped, eyes flying open, wide with panic. "Hey, hey, it's just me," Peter said, trying to calm her down. "You okay?" Avri was shaking, blinking through the tears, still struggling to breathe.

"I- I'm fine, I'll be fine," she managed, her voice light and breathy. It hitched on a few of the words, and she wiped her cheeks.

"Avri, you're not fine. You were banging your head against the wall in your sleep. That's not normal," Peter said. "Let me help you."

"There's nothing you can do," she whispered, more tears tumbling off her eyelashes.

"Avri? Kenric's on the phone," May said, handing her phone to Avri.

"Hello?" Avri asked, and Peter stepped back. "Hey, Kenric."

"Do you think she's okay?" May asked Peter.

"I don't know. My guess is that it was a nightmare or something, but…" Peter sighed, looking at her. "I still don't even know her that well."

"It might have something to do with her autism," May said. Avri's eyes narrowed a little as she talked to Kenric. Peter only shrugged. To be honest, it was bothering him a little that May was so ready to blame this on the fact that Avri was on the spectrum. Peter had woken up from nightmares clinging to the ceiling before.

"I think it was just a nightmare," Peter said. "You did ask about her parents at dinner today, that might have been a trigger or something."

May looked at Avri, who was staring at the wall, unblinking, listening to Kenric. "Maybe."

"You don't have to come over, I'm fine," Avri said. "No, it's okay. Kenric. I want to do this." She hung up, still panting a little and handing May's phone back to her. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Peter said. "Just a nightmare?"

She nodded, and Peter gave May a glance. His aunt took the hint and left the room, going back to her own and letting the teenagers talk. After all, their family situation was pretty similar.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Peter asked.

Avri shook her head but said, "yes," at the same time.

* * *

"Wait, is that a yes or no?" Peter asked, confused. Avri shrugged, not sure herself. His thoughts were anxious, scared even. Her parents' deaths were still playing over and over in her head, her brother's voice, _let me go_...

The thing about remembering is that you can never forget. Never.

"I want to talk about it, but I don't want to bother you," she admitted softly.

"If you want to talk about it, it's fine," Peter said. "It's not healthy to keep your feelings bottled up."

Avri smirked a little. It was rare that she even felt her own emotions. "I guess."

Peter sat down next to her, waiting patiently for her to start talking. "It's not that big of a deal," she said. "It was only about the... _accident._" What had happened that night was no accident.

"What accident?" Peter asked quietly, putting his hand on Avri's forearm. She winced a little. "Sorry, sorry, I forgot you don't like being touched..." He trailer off as Avri lifted her hoodie sleeves, revealing red scratches that covered her forearms. "Oh my god! Are you okay?"

"I must have done it in my sleep," Avri said, staring at them. The scratches were deep, much to Peter's growing panic. She could feel it start to fill up the room. "Don't worry, it happens a lot."

"What?" Peter asked, "do you need Band-Aids or something?"

"Probably," Avri said, examining the scratches. "They're not that bad."

"We should at least clean them," Peter said, trying to meet Avri's eyes. He was worried, so worried, for someone he had just met. Avri's eyes filled with tears again as she held his gaze. "What?"

She shook her head, reaching out for his hand and clutching it tightly. She couldn't do this, let herself get close to someone again... she couldn't.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm so sorry."

"Avri, what are you talking about?" Peter asked. His concern was only growing, slamming into Avri, reminding her that it was all her fault, everything happening right now was her fault, she'd caused this, he was worried about her...

Suddenly, Avri couldn't breathe again and the world was spinning around her, the only thing keeping her grounded while she tried to breathe was Peter's hand.

"S***, you're having a panic attack. Nice going, Peter," she heard him mutter. "Okay, uh, just try to breathe, Avri. I'm right here."

_That's part of the reason why I'm having a panic attack, _she thought. _Just stop. Stop caring for me. I can't lose anyone else. I've already lost my parents, my brother, and my aunt. I don't want to lose Kenric, I don't want to lose you either. Don't get close to me, don't be friends with me, don't care for me. It's for the best. I promise you._

_Let me go._

"Peter?" May was back, her own concern just adding to the mix. "What's going on?"

"She's having a panic attack," Peter said. "I really don't know how to handle this. Could you do it, maybe? You have more experience because of me."

"Of course," May said. "If you want, you can go back to your room. I'll sit with Avri until it's past and then take her back to her apartment."

"Okay," Peter said.

He left the room and Avri started to relax.


	11. Hurts But I Know How To Hide It

_So this is kind of an emotional chapter, and also kind of a short one, but I'm super excited for the next one! MAJOR events! I don't own anything except for Avri! And please review at the end! I really want to know your thoughts!_

* * *

**10 | Hurts But I Know How To Hide It**

"Peter! Over here!" Ned called, waving to Peter. They had an assembly this morning in the gym, and of course Peter was sitting with Ned.

"Hey, Ned," Peter said. He was still a little disappointed from what had happened on Saturday.

"You okay? Something bothering you? Did anyone happen with Spider-Man?" Ned asked, worried.

"No, I'm fine Ned. Don't worry about it," Peter said.

Ned frowned. "But you're out of it, dude. Your mind's been elsewhere since you walked into homeroom."

"Just thinking," Peter said automatically.

"That's exactly what you said on Thursday," Ned told him. "Come on, something's happening. I'm your best friend. You can tell me."

Peter sighed. "It's about Avri."

Ned looked at him, appalled. "You like her instead of MJ?"

"What? No!" Peter said. "It's about the sleepover."

"What did she do?" Ned asked.

"She didn't really do anything. Avri just had a nightmare, and I woke up to her banging her head against the wall," Peter told Ned, wincing at the memory. "And so I woke her up, and tried to get her to tell me, but we got a little sidetracked and she had a panic attack and May took her home," he summarized.

Ned looked at him. "Was she okay?"

"I don't know," Peter said, shrugging. "I haven't heard from her. Her uncle sent a text to May saying that Avri was fine, but that was it."

"Maybe she's just embarrassed about what happened," Ned suggested. "She's pretty shy, right? Maybe she was just embarrassed about the attention."

"I honestly don't even know what happened. All I know was that it was a nightmare, and then she freaked out," Peter said. Just as he said so, Avri walked into the gym with her homeroom, a different hoodie on, still oversized, and in her long shorts. He had no idea if she had even treated the scratches on her arms.

"Sounds rough for both of you," Ned said. "You had no idea how to help, she probably wasn't willing to tell you."

"She's autistic," Peter said suddenly. "She probably didn't trust me anyway."

"Wait, wait, she's autistic?" The assembly had started, but it wasn't that important. Just some school announcement about safety, something they had all heard a million times and practically memorized.

"Yeah, her uncle told me at the sleepover," Peter said. "It's why she's so quiet. I actually got her to open up a fair amount to me, but then she closed herself off before she left."

Ned's eyes were sympathetic. "That makes a lot more sense. She might not have been sure of how to handle the situation."

"Hey, losers," MJ said, her standard greeting for them. She was late, in true MJ style. "What's this about a situation?"

"Something happened with Avri at their sleepover," Ned supplied, looking at Peter, who gave MJ a quick recap of what he and Ned had just been talking about.

"Demosthenes is autistic?" MJ said.

"Yes, get over it," Peter said. "I have sensory issues, does that make me any different?" He shot Ned a glance, which definitely did not go past MJ.

"No, but autism's not just sensory issues," MJ said, sitting down next to them.

"I know that, but still. Just… that's part of who she is," Peter said.

MJ raised her hands in surrender. "Hey, I don't care. She could be from Mars for all I care. But this explains her behavior."

"What behavior? Oh, right, the sleepover," Ned said, nodding.

"What do you mean?" Peter asked.

"She probably wasn't comfortable opening up yet," MJ said.

"That… makes sense, combined with what Ned told me earlier," Peter said, looking for her. "I'm going to talk to her after this."

"Just see how she's doing?" Ned suggested.

"Yeah, and I kind of want to invite her into our friend group. She sits alone all the time, and we all know how that feels. I don't want her to have to go through that, considering her situation as well," Peter said, sighing a little. "Are you two okay with that?"

"I don't care," MJ said.

"Sure, why not?" Ned said with a shrug.

Peter smiled. "We're probably her first friends since she moved."

He had no idea.

* * *

Avri thought she was completely prepared for this conversation.

Peter's thoughts had centered around asking her if she was okay, and there was a second idea that went through his head so fast she couldn't grab onto it. She wasn't too worried though. More like bracing herself for-

"Avri?"

There it was.

"Hey, Peter," she mumbled, looking to the left of him. "Sorry about… you know."

"It's fine," Peter said. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she replied, blinking hard.

"So, um, what happened after I left?" Peter asked, trying to look her in the eye. _God, I'm screwing this up so bad._

Avri shrugged. "I calmed down and went back home." He didn't need to know any more, didn't need to know that the flashbacks had torn through her head, every agonizing detail of that night replayed over and over again. It had been so bad that she was biting on her knuckles, tasting blood the second she bit down.

"Oh. That's good," Peter said, relief slipping into Avri. There was still concern though, _why won't she meet my eyes anymore?_

"Yeah," Avri said, standing still. The 'silence' must have been awkward for Peter, but filled with his thoughts for Avri.

_Something happened that night. Something she's not telling me, otherwise she would look me in the eyes again. _

_What is she hiding?_

_More than you could ever know,_ Avri thought, careful to keep it to herself. _More than you could ever know._

"Your arms?" he asked.

"They're fine," she said, shrugging and moving her line of vision up a little, closer to his shoulder.

"You got them treated?" More concern, more worry, _stop being concerned about me, I'm not worth it._

"Yes," she said, a little harsher than she intended. _No._

His next thoughts flashed into her head, something she never thought she was going to be asked again. _Ask her if she wants to be friends and sit with you, Ned, and MJ._

"Are you, um, okay with being friends?" he asked nervously.

Avri sucked in a breath, ducking her gaze again, dropping it to her feet. It had been such a long time since someone had asked her that. But there was no way she could accept his offer, no matter how much it hurt her. It was better for the both of them.

"I can't," she whispered. "I can't."

"What do you mean?" Peter asked, staring at her.

"I can't be your friend, I can't let anyone else get close to me," she said, meeting his eyes. "I've already lost so many people, my mom, my dad, my brother, my aunt, every person I've ever let myself get close to, everyone who's cared about me except for Kenric. I can't lose anyone else. Trust me, Peter, it's better for me, better for the both of us if I just stay out of your life. You can get close to people because you can protect them. I can't!"

"Avri, what-"

"I have to protect both you and myself. Trust me." She kept eye contact, unblinking, ignoring everything except for his eyes. "It's for the best." With that, she walked away, headed to her next class. Peter was so confused behind her, frozen in the same spot. Avri knew it hurt, but she had to keep him away. She couldn't lose anyone else, not be able to protect them.

Even if it meant shutting Peter out.

It was for the best.

_Let me go._


	12. Sorry, Sorry, I'm Sorry, Sorry

_Okay, guys, I'm so excited for this chapter to finally be out! I'm going to the beach for a little over a week so please don't expect normal updates, I will write when I can. I really hope you enjoy it, I don't own anything except for Avri, and PLEASE, PLEASE review and tell me your thoughts!_

* * *

**11 | Sorry, Sorry, I'm Sorry, Sorry**

"So let me get this straight- you asked her if she wanted to be friends with us, and then she turned you down? When she has no other friends?" Ned asked in disbelief.

"I know!" Peter exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air. "And we were completely fine on Friday, but I approach her today and she's talking about how it's better for her if we aren't friends.

"I can see where she's coming from, thought," he added. "We've both lost a lot of people- but Avri tries to protect herself from getting hurt again while I… don't."

Ned placed a comforting hand on Peter's shoulder. "Hey, it's okay, dude. I guess Avri's just doing what she thinks is best for her. She'll realize it was a mistake eventually, and then she'll come back and be friends with us. You've just got to let her adjust to the idea first."

Peter glanced at his friend. "When did you get so good at life advice?"

Ned shrugged. "I honestly have no idea where the heck that came from."

"Clairaudience," MJ said, sitting down next to them.

"What?" Peter and Ned asked at the same time.

"Clairaudience. Clear hearing. One of the things of it is giving super helpful advice and then having no idea where it came from," MJ said. "I don't know, it might be a sign of you having it."

Ned frowned. "I don't think so."

MJ shrugged. "We'll see."

"You think we should just let Avri figure it out on her own?" Peter asked, bringing his sight away from where Avri was sitting and back to Ned.

"Yeah," he said.

"How's finding Psych going?" MJ asked. Peter looked at her in shock. "What, you really think that I haven't noticed?"

"Kind of?" Peter questioned.

She smirked. "No way. It's honestly painful how obvious it is."

Peter stared at her for a second. "Great, now someone else knows. Is it really that obvious?"

"I mean, kind of? You're always there as him when you disappear as yourself," she said. "Like in Washington?"

"Right," Peter said, nodding. "Do you think anyone else knows?"

MJ shrugged. "Probably not, but someone's going to figure it out if Spider-Man keep appearing when Peter Parker goes missing."

"Yeah," Peter mumbled.

"Back to Psych!" Ned said, steering them away from the fact MJ knew his identity. "How's it going?"

"I've been doing some research with Tony, we've figured out some of her powers and abilities along with areas that she's commonly seen in, but that's pretty much it. There's not a lot of information available about her," Peter said. "Plus, she knows I'm going for her identity."

"Wait, so what are her powers?" Ned asked.

"From what we can tell so far, she's telepathic, telekinetic, has some sort of thought projection, future sight, and can fly and/or levitate," Peter told them. "We're sure there's more we're missing, but that's all we've been able to confirm."

"Wait, she's telepathetic?" Ned said excitedly.

"Telepathic," Peter corrected. "Yeah, she can read thoughts."

"Could she know who you really are as well?" MJ asked.

He shrugged. "I thought about it, and I'm guessing. But no one new except for you knows who I am, so I'm guessing she hasn't told anyone."

"I mean, she definitely seems like she can keep a secret," MJ said, smirking.

"Yeah, but hopefully not for much longer," Peter said.

* * *

Avri was finishing up an essay for English class when Kenric came home from work, headphones over her ears per usual.

"Hey, Avri," he said, putting his briefcase down. "How was school?"

"Same as always," she replied, pausing her music and slipping her headphones off her head. "How was work?"

"Damian finally killed his cactus," Kenric replied. "Overwatered it."

Avri frowned. "The poor cactus."

Kenric shrugged. "Yeah. You almost done with your homework?"

She nodded. "I just have to finish up with my essay about _To Kill A Mockingbird_ and then I'll be done."

"Sounds good," he said. "Once you finish, I'll start making dinner and you'll practice on the roof?"

Avri nodded again, checking the time. "Frick."

"What?" Kenric asked, slipping his tie over his head.

"It's past five fifteen," she muttered to herself, pushing herself to finish up the conclusion. "Way past. I lost track of time while working on this, and I was supposed to be on the roof thirty-seven minutes ago. Or at least done with homework."

Kenric sighed. "Avri, relax, okay? It's not going to kill you." Avri loved Kenric, but _god, _he did not understand her sometimes.

"It doesn't work like that," she said under her breath as Kenric went to hang his tie up in his closet, writing out the last sentence and putting down her pen. Two pages, each double sided. She hoped it was enough. "I'm not going to be able to dance today."

"So I'll start making dinner now," he said. Avri took a few deep breaths, calming herself down. _It's not that bad, it's just one day-_

_But there was Friday._

_Stop thinking about Friday._

_Friday was a nightmare._

"Avri," Kenric said. "Hey."

She looked up at him, only just realizing she was digging her fingernails into her arms again. Thankfully the sleeves of her hoodie were protecting her.

"What do you want for dinner?" he asked, taking her hands off of her arms. She pulled away quickly, fidgeting with her fingers instead. _She's doing it again._

"I don't know," she said, trying to pull her mind away from the routine. "Something simple, I guess. Since it has to be ready at six."

"Okay. Do you need to go to your room?" he asked her. _Please don't have a meltdown, I don't want to deal with that today. Not after J.J.J. assigned me to for articles…_

She nodded, going into her room and slumping down on her bed. Eight minutes until dinner had to be ready. Kenric's thoughts were still circulating around his work, the stress of it, _he wants me to go out and find stuff about Psych-_

"Crap," she muttered. Why was everyone going after her? First Spider-Man with S.H.I.E.L.D., now the Daily Bugle, who else was next? The FBI? CIA?

To be honest, though, she should have expected it. She was a superhero with no alliances and had revealed practically nothing about herself. People were always going after vigilantes.

She checked the time again. Five minutes left. She was left alone with her thoughts. Well, her and the other people in close enough proximity to hear their thoughts.

Most were from Kenric, but she could hear a few from Peter and May as well. Pretty normal things, May thinking about what to make for dinner while Peter was doing homework. Her enhanced hearing even picked up on a bit of conversation between the two, May asking if Peter was going out for patrol tonight…

"Avri! Dinner's ready!" Kenric called.

_May knew? And she was okay with it? _Avri thought to herself, getting off of her bed. _I could never tell Kenric, he would freak out._

"You okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine," she replied.

"I made sandwiches," he said, handing her a plate. "We're just going to have a normal dinner, do the dishes, we'll hang out, and then you'll go to sleep?"

"Minus the hanging out, yes," Avri said.

Kenric was surprised. "What do you mean?"

"I'm just… tired, okay?" she said. In reality, she just wanted to get out and patrol. She had gone straight home from school because of her homework, which was more than usual, and hadn't been able to go out.

"Okay," he said, taking a bite of his sandwich. He was still confused and surprised, _she's never done something like this before, so why is she doing it now?_

Avri took a bite of her sandwich. Ham with lettuce, tomato, and bell peppers. Not bad. She and Kenric ate their dinner in silence, the latter occasionally glancing at the former, who ignored it. She didn't care right now, he was also going for her when he had no idea who Psych really was. And if he was the one who found out…

She shuddered. Avri didn't want to know what would happen.

"Thank you," she said to Kenric, taking her plate to the sink and washing it before wiping it down with a towel. "Dinner was good."

"No problem," Kenric said. "I'm going to go out for a walk."

"Okay." Avri went back to her room, slipping into her normal outfit- white hoodie and black leggings. Slipping the hood and mask over her head and adjusting the goggles, she was ready to go. She heard the apartment door open and close and Kenric's footsteps getting further away.

It was time.

There was still light outside, and no one to see her slip out of the window. Carefully, Avri opened it, stepping out and levitating before-

"Psych?" a familiar voice asked.

She turned to the left, seeing Spider-Man crawling out of his own window.

She waved. "Hey, Peter."


	13. Memories Burn Like A Forest Fire

_I'm really happy to be back! Sorry I had so much trouble writing this, but I'm so excited for the next chapter! This chapter isn't very good, but I hope you enjoy it anyway!_

* * *

**12 | Memories Burn Like A Forest Fire**

"You- you're- Psych?" Peter stammered, looking at Avri. Or where she was. She was there and then suddenly gone. "Avri?"

The most mysterious superhero the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. had ever encountered was fourteen-year-old Avri Hill. Even Tony Stark hadn't known who she was. Avri Hill. His quiet neighbor who had moved in a month ago… about the time where Psych had started showing up in New York.

"Karen? Do you see her?" Peter asked.

"What do you mean, Peter? Avri Hill is right in front of you," Karen said.

"But I can't see her," Peter said, confused.

"She appears to be heading up to the rooftops, I can lock in on her and outline her if you would like," Karen told him. "I can't tell what she's doing, but it's affecting you, making you unable to see her."

"That would be great, Karen, thanks," Peter said, chasing after Avri. He was trying to not alert her to his presence, but of course, she could hear his thoughts so that probably wouldn't work. Peter didn't want to hurt her, he just wanted to talk.

Avri was Psych.

It was still sinking in, and Peter hadn't fully comprehended it. After all, it was hard to imagine, since Avri seemed so quiet and not the kind of person who would be Psych. Though she was giving herself away a little bit with the baggy white hoodie, but that was easy to overlook. After all, Peter had overlooked it while trying to figure out who she was.

To think, he had only discovered who she was because they were sneaking out at the same time.

He shook his head. Peter was closing in on Avri, his webs reaching farther than Avri could jump. He was right under her, he just needed to aim this correctly-

"Gotcha!" Peter said, looking at her. Unfortunately, Avri had blocked the webs from touching her and wadded them up into a ball, throwing them back at Peter. He dodged them, continuing to pursue her.

_Avri, come on,_ Peter thought, hoping it would reach her.

_Peter…_

_Avri. I'm not going to tell anyone besides Mr. Stark, the Avengers, and S.H.I.E.L.D. None of them have released my identity, no one's going to release yours._

_It's not just that. This has been a secret for seven years._

Peter blanched at that. _You've had your powers since you were _seven_? And kept them a secret?_

_Yes._

_I have to say, I'm impressed. Mr. Stark found me within a month of me getting my powers._

He could practically feel her smirking. _Yeah, well._

"Peter, Avri has stopped moving and is now on the rooftop above you," Karen said. Peter stopped as well, landing on the rooftop across from her. _Why are you running?_

_I'm not ready for you- or anyone else- to see me as I really am._

_Neither am I. How did you know that I was Spider-Man?_

_You were thinking about your… Peter-tingle the day you first approached me. I've seen you as Spider-Man for a long time, Peter. But then there's me… and I don't think anyone would expect me to be a superhero, let's be honest. I mean, I'm autistic. And a lot of people assume that holds me back. Which it does, sometimes. But I have to work my way through it. And I've been like this for seven years… I figure it's time to do something._

To be honest, Peter had been thinking about the fact that she was autistic, and wondering how she could have been Psych with that.

_How did you get your powers?_

* * *

_How did you get your powers?_

Why were the memories coming back so much lately? Avri was just going to guess that it was because of Peter trying to figure out who she was, and he didn't know any of her triggers.

Suddenly, Peter was on the rooftop with her.

Avri turned to him. "You shouldn't be here."

"Neither should you," he said. "Avri. We can talk. I won't tell anyone, I promise."

"The last time someone promised me something, I lost them," she said, her hands clenching into fists.

"Well, I doubt you'll lose me," Peter said. "I'm not planning on getting lost anytime soon."

"I mean I lost them. Permanently," Avri told him.

"Oh," Peter said. "Oh, no. I'm sorry."

Avri shrugged. "It's fine. I'm used to losing people."

"That's not a good thing to get used to," Peter said, stepping closer.

"Well, I got used to it, okay?" Avri said. "Why do you think I can't let myself become friends with you? I don't want it to happen again!"

"How did you get your powers?" Peter asked again, out loud this time, trying to distract her.

"Do not. Do not bring that up, Peter," Avri said.

"Why?" He was so confused.

"Because I got them by losing my parents and brother!" Avri shouted, glad she'd had the foresight to wrap them in a bubble of sensory manipulation. No one could see or hear them within a radius of five blocks.

"Avri…" Peter said, taking another step towards her.

"Don't, Peter. Just stay out of it, leave it alone. I got my powers through a car accident that resulted in the deaths of my parents and brother, okay? Are you satisfied?" Avri asked, but she wasn't angry. She was sad and scared. Avri didn't really want to lose Peter, he was nice and smart and supportive, but she couldn't. She couldn't.

"I'm sorry," Peter said after a second.

She shrugged.

"I lost my parents too. And my uncle. But I have my aunt, and you have your uncle," Peter said.

"I know," Avri said, softer this time. "How did you get your powers? Any lingering trauma from that?"

"No, not really. Just a bite from a radioactive spider and boom! I'm Spider-Man!" Peter said, smiling at her. "You okay?"

"I will be," she said.

"Do you… maybe want to patrol together? If that's okay?" Peter asked.

"Don't you have to tell the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Avri asked.

"Right," Peter said, "Karen, can you call Mr. Stark?"


	14. Wore My Heart Out On A Chain

_So this is the chapter I've been so excited about since the beginning. I mean, it's short, it's bad, but it's the end that really counts. You're all going to hate me and want to murder me after you read it, so I'm going to go and hide. Oh, and thank you for the support! It means a lot!_

* * *

**13 | Wore My Heart Out On A Chain**

"_Kid, what's up? Any updates on Psych?"_ Tony asked.

"I found her," Peter said.

"_What?" _It sounded like Tony was walking somewhere.

"I found Psych," Peter said to Tony, looking at the girl in question.

"_You found her?"_

"Yes," Peter said, smiling a little at Avri. Not that she could see it from under the mask.

"_Who is it?"_

Peter laughed nervously. "Turns out, she's my neighbor. Avri Hill? She goes to my school too. I think I was telling you about her earlier-"

"_Yeah, kid, I got it," _Tony said, a trace of humor in his voice. "_Have you talked yet?" _

"A little, should I ask what her-"

"_What her powers are? Definitely. Call me back when you have all the info. I'm sending you the file now," _Tony said. "_Talk to you later, underoos."_

Peter frowned a little, but figured Tony was up to something important. "Avri?"

"Yeah, Peter?" she said, "I guess we're still going on patrol?" She seemed subdued about her outburst earlier, sinking back into the quieter person Peter knew from her.

"If you want," Peter said, shrugging. "We can also talk."

She shrugged back, looking at Peter. "Can you take off your mask?"

"Someone might see-"

"It's taken care of. Don't worry," Avri said, taking off her own mask and slipping to hood off her head. Peter hesitantly followed her lead, hearing a soft ding from the file arriving before he took it off. "You're confused."

"Yes," Peter said. He didn't know what was really happening, how Avri knew. Was it really that obvious?

"It's not," Avri said, sitting at the edge of the roof. Peter sat down next to her, a hint of a smile on her lips. "I know, it's creepy."

"So what- what are all of your powers?" Peter asked.

"Telepathy, telekinesis, a bit of mental manipulation, enhanced senses, and the four main 'clair' senses, which aren't technically superpowers, but still," Avri said, looking down at her hand.

"What are the 'clair' senses?" Peter asked, looking at her.

"Clairvoyance, clairaudience, clairsentience, and claircognizance," Avri said. "The first one is basically you can see spirits, the second one is you can hear them, the third is I can feel your emotions, and even physical pain, and the last one is kind of like a future sight," Avri told him, then jumping into a long-winded explanation of each one. Peter wasn't paying full attention, but he learned a lot about the 'powers that weren't real powers'. "I just totally information dumped on you," she said, blushing, after about seven minutes of her telling him about them all. "Sorry."

Peter shrugged. "Hey, it's fine. That was just you telling me things of part of-"

"-the autism, yeah." She stopped talking, fiddling with her fingers instead.

"Don't worry about it," Peter said. "So about the mental manipulation?"

"Right. It's not like Wanda, where she can make you see your worst fear or whatever, but there's a good bit of sensory manipulation in there," Avri said. "I haven't really experimented with it as much."

"Is that why Karen said that she could see you just fine but I couldn't?" Peter asked.

Avri nodded. "Yeah. I did it to you the other day too, when I jumped off the roof after I called you out for stalking me." She frowned. "Not cool, by the way."

"Sorry about that," Peter said, rubbing the back of his neck. Things were making a lot more sense now.

She laughed nervously. "I never thought I was going to tell anyone about this."

Peter smiled. "Well, your secret's safe with me."

Avri smiled back, but it turned into a pained grimace as she clutched her stomach. Her eyes were suddenly blank and glassy.

"Avri?" Peter asked. "Avri!"

* * *

_A gun fired, once, twice, hitting the man in the stomach. The shooter smirking. His face… it wasn't familiar, but it seemed like she knew the man. And then her and Peter, one word escaping from Peter's mouth-_

"Avri!" Peter said, shaking her. "Avri, you okay?"

She gasped, the pain fading. "Shooting. Alleyway. Seven blocks up. We have a minute to get there," she said, pulling her hood and mask on then jumping off the roof, using her telekinesis to hover in the air. "Come on."

Peter wasn't questioning her, assuming it was the future sight. The vision had been more specific and clearer than it had ever been. His mask back on his face, Peter swung after her as she levitated towards the site. They were hurrying, rushing against the clock to get there. From what Avri has seen, it was fatal.

They heard the shots less than a block away.

Peter got there first, swinging in and kicking the shooter to the ground before grabbing the gun and tossing it away. Avri ran over to the man as Peter webbed up the shooter, gasping in shock when she saw who it was. The pain from the bullet wounds shot through her, his blood soaking his shirt. She could feel the pain tearing through her, tears pricking in her eyes.

"Avri? What's his condition?" Peter asked, coming up behind her. "Oh. Oh god. No."

Avri grabbed the man's hand, feeling for a pulse. It was weak, but still there. For now. He couldn't be saved.

Peter uttered the word she hadn't heard in the vision.

"Tony?"


	15. White Shirt, Now Red

_So I apologize for the last chapter, but here's a new one. Enjoy._

* * *

**14 | White Shirt, Now Red**

Peter drop-kicked the man with the gun, grabbing the weapon with his web and tossing it to the wall before webbing it there. Avri ran over to the man, her gasp audible over the fighting. "Karen? Could you call Mr. Stark?"

"Of course," Karen said as Peter webbed up the shooter then glanced over to Avri. Her hands were over the bullet holes, trying to stop the bleeding.

With his heart sinking, Peter asked, "Avri? What's his condition?" as he walked over to her. He sucked in a sharp breath upon seeing his face, which happened to be the exact moment Tony picked up.

"_Underoos? What's up?" _He sounded fairly relaxed, even happy.

Peter looked at the man on the ground. "Oh. Oh god. No."

"_Peter? What's happening?"_

"Tony?" Peter asked, tearing his eyes away from Kenric. "We have a situation."

"_Are you okay?" _Tony asked, the concern evident in his voice.

"I- I'm fine," Peter said, looking over to Avri again. She was begging him to stay, reaching up to take her mask off. "Just- _fuck_, something happened."

"_Language!" _Steve called in the background.

"_Shh! What's going on, Peter?" _Tony asked.

"Wait, Steve?" Peter asked aloud, momentarily forgetting the scene behind him. "Never mind, it's probably just my imagination. Me and Avri, we were in an alleyway, and there was a guy and he had a gun and she shot it and he's dying-"

"_Slow down, Peter. Who's dying?" _Peter could hear Tony moving around, clearing stuff out of the way.

"Her uncle! Kenric, he's dying," Peter said, taking another look at his friend. She was openly crying now, her sweatshirt stained with red. His last words were lost under Tony replying as Peter stepped closer, putting a hand on Avri's shoulder.

"_Avri's uncle?" _Tony asked.

"Yeah," Peter whispered, then said louder, "yeah." Avri was sobbing, hugging Kenric and whispering for him to stay. Peter could remember when his Uncle Ben died in the same way. But he- he still had May. Avri didn't have anyone left.

"_Okay, uh, I'll be there as soon as I can. Try to get you and Avri to a less vulnerable position, and then call the cops. Just give me a few minutes, I'll be there ten minutes, tops." _Tony was moving around and Peter heard the familiar sound of the suit powering up.

"Okay," Peter said, the call disconnecting. _Why do people always die in alleyways? _he wondered, turning back to Avri. There was blood all over her hands and sweatshirt. "Avri."

She turned to him, her hands trembling. Tears still ran down her face, not that Peter was expecting anything less. "Come on, Avri, we have to get out of here," Peter said.

Avri nodded but didn't make a move to leave her uncle's side. Peter glanced over to the street, thankful that there wasn't anyone else around but the criminal, who was webbed so that his head was facing the other way. Hopefully he hadn't heard their conversation. "Avri, come on. I know it's hard, trust me, I was in this exact same position. We have to go," Peter told her, grabbing her bloodstained hands and pulling her to her feet. "Let's go!"

Avri picked her mask up off the ground and followed him, not talking. She seemed to be in a state of shock, which Peter could understand. He took her up to the rooftop with him, making sure she was hovering near him as they went.

Peter was a little teary eyed too, remembering his Uncle Ben. But it wasn't the time for weakness. "Karen?"

"Yes, Peter?" the AI replied.

"Can you call the police?" Peter asked, looking down at the alley.

"Of course."

"_911, what's your emergency?"_

Peter glanced towards Avri. "Someone was shot and killed. Middle Village, 80th and Jackson. In an alleyway." He hung up before they could ask for anything else.

They waited there, silent, still, before a whirring sound cut through the air and Tony landed beside them. The suit opened up and said man walked out, much to Peter's relief.

"Tony!" he said, meeting his mentor's eyes. Avri was still crouched on the rooftop, staring at the body of her uncle. "Thanks for coming, you really didn't have to but-"

Tony smiled at Peter and held up a hand, stopping his rambles. "Hey, Pete, it's fine. Don't worry about it. You called the police?"

Peter nodded. "They're on their way."

"Then let's get out of here. Head back to your place to settle down, is that okay?" Tony asked, looking at the two teenagers.

Peter nodded again, but Avri made no move to leave. They could hear a siren now, getting closer the longer they stood there.

"Hey, new girl. What's her name?" Tony said, turning to Peter.

"Avri," Peter responded.

"Avri. Come on, we have to get out of here," Tony said to her, trying to get her to move. The police were less than three blocks away, and continuing to get closer. They would be here in the next minute. "Come on!"

"She's in shock," Peter said, grabbing onto her arm and pulling her to her feet. The sirens weren't moving any closer, and Peter could hear two car doors slamming. He was panicking now, if the police looked up to the rooftop they were on, they were going to see them, see Avri without her mask.

"The call?" one of the officers asked, looking around and noticing the criminal webbed to the wall. "Oh, hey."

"It was anonymous, but they said right- oh, no," the other one said, seeing the body. "Oh, gosh."

The first officer stepped away from the shooter, walking over to Kenric. The second one glanced around, his eyes locking with the ones on Peter's mask and-

"Spidey's gone," he said, turning back to Kenric. "But he sure left some webbing."

"Seems like there might have been someone else too, these are handprints," the other one said.

"Might have been Spidey."

"Yeah, but then there would have been blood on the wall if he climbed up. There's no webbing that indicates he swung away," the second one pointed out.

"We've only got one other vigilante, though, that deal with this kind of common robbers, muggings, sh*t like this," the first one told him. "And that's Psych."

* * *

Avri was shaking.

Her uncle had just died.

She had no more living relatives.

Which meant she was on her own.

Peter looked shocked when the police officer looked right at him and didn't see him. She had covered them again in her panic, making sure that no one was going to see them. Her mask sat by her feet, Kenric's blood dotting it. Her hands were bloody as well. They weren't dripping, but they were definitely blood colored.

She couldn't really hear anything that was happening around her, trapped in her own head with everyone else's thoughts. The police were trying to figure out who it was who had died and how to get the shooter out of the webs, while Tony and Peter were just confused. _He looked right at me and didn't see me_, from Peter, and _what the hell is even happening?_ from Tony.

Sensory manipulation really came in handy sometimes.

"Kid? What's happening?" Tony whispered, his voice sounding like he was underwater.

Peter replied in a normal tone of voice, though it was still slightly muffled. "Don't worry about it, Mr. Stark. You don't need to be quiet or anything, no one's going to be able to hear you in what, a five block radius?"

Avri nodded a little, turning her head away from her uncle.

Peter let out a relieved breath. "You going to be okay?" Avri only shrugged. "Okay, um, what next?" He turned to Tony.

"Well, they're probably going to ID him, and then go over to Avri's place to tell her. So we should head back, maybe, get you two cleaned up," he told them, motioning to the blood on Avri's hands and sweatshirt, "and then deal with it from there. I'll make sure that you get back, then… do you want me to stay or not?"

Peter shrugged. "Maybe, just until Avri's okay. How's her living situation going to work out?"

"Well, she's either going to go into foster care or I'm going to have to figure something out, but I'm kind of tired of figuring things out since I just prepared a surprise for you. Anyway, we'll deal with it," Tony said. Avri didn't hear all of it, Kenric's last words playing over and over in her head.

_"You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough."_

_"I'm so proud of you."_

She took in a shaky breath, standing up and putting on her mask, wincing at the blood she knew was covered by the hood.

Peter glanced at her. "You're going to be able to keep it up?" he asked.

_I think so,_ she thought, sending it into his and Tony's heads. Tony looked around in surprise. _I'll explain later._

"I'll explain later," Peter said at the same time. "Let's get back to my place." Tony stepped back into the suit, Peter shot a web out, and Avri started floating again. They disappeared into the night, Avri's sensory manipulation keeping them undetectable as they headed back into Forest Hills.

Back to May.

Back to the apartment.

Back to where Kenric wasn't.


	16. If Teardrops Could Be Bottled

_Sorry for the wait. School starts soon so updates will be weekly._

* * *

**15 | If Teardrops Could Be Bottled**

"May?" Peter called, unsure if she was home. "May?"

"Yeah? You're home early, did something happen? Are you hurt?" she asked, concern lacing her voice.

"I'm fine," Peter said, glancing at Avri. Tony stepped out of the suit, leaving it standing on the ground.

"Did something happen on patrol?" she asked, still sounding to be in the kitchen.

Another glance at Avri, who was awkwardly holding her hands in front of her. "Yeah."

"What was it?" May's footsteps were getting closer to them. "Is it anything serious? Do we need to- oh. Uh..." she trailed off as she entered the room, seeing Avri and Tony. "What?"

"I can explain," Peter started, but May interrupted him.

"Why is Tony Stark here? And is this Psych? Why is there blood all over your hands?" May asked, looking worridley at her before turning right back to Peter. "Peter."

"There was a problem on patrol. I found out that Psych is actually Avri, our neighbor," Peter said, taking off Avri's mask. She glared at him, and he raised his hands up. "Hey. Anyway, I found out that Avri was Psych, and so we talked, and then, um..." He turned to look at Avri and she nodded, only the slightest bit. "Kenric was shot-murdered," he whispered.

May gasped, putting a hand over her mouth. "Oh, god," she said, looking at Avri.

"Yeah," Peter said, shuffling his feet awkwardly. Tony was still standing in front of his suit, looking right at Avri. When no one else spoke up, he took a step forward.

"Okay, so, we need to get Avri cleaned up," he said. "May or I can go back to her apartment with her so she can get changed and wash the blood off of her hands and then the other can stay with Peter. Then Avri and whoever goes with her comes back here and we act like Avri was here the whole time so when the police come to tell us, they don't suspect anything. Sound good?" he asked.

May nodded. "I can trust you with Peter?"

"Of course," Tony said, smiling at her. May took Avri by the sleeve and led her out of Peter's room.

"We'll be back in five to ten minutes," May said. They could hear the door open and close behind her and then Peter and Tony were alone.

Peter sighed, tapping the spider on his chest to loosen the suit and slipped out of it, going to his drawer and putting on a long-sleeved shirt and jeans. He and Tony then left his bedroom, went into the living room, and sat in the thickness of silence, waiting for the other to speak up.

Tony glanced over at Peter, who was staring at the wall, his face blank. "Peter."

Peter looked up at Tony, blinking a few times. "Yeah?"

"What are you thinking about?" Pain and loss flashed across Peter's face and Tony immediately regretted his question. "I don't want to pry-"

Peter shook his head. "It's fine. Just my uncle, he died in pretty much the same way." He blinked again. "And then just seeing it again... I saw my uncle, not Avri's."

Tony put a comforting hand on Peter's shoulder. He didn't know exactly what to say. Peter had been through so much loss, first his parents and then his uncle. And now here was his neighbor, who went through all the same shit that Peter did... it was almost unbelievable.

"What about her powers?" Tony asked, both knowing he was talking about Avri.

"She said that she has telepathy, telekinesis, sensory manipulation, clairvoyance, clairaudience, clairsentience, and claircognizance," Peter recalled. "Oh, and enhanced senses."

Tony nodded. "She's a lot like Wanda."

"That's what I was thinking," Peter said. "She can probably hear our thoughts right now."

Tony looked at him. "What's her range?"

Peter shrugged. "She didn't say. Well, she did tell me that the sensory manipulation was five blocks, but I don't know if it can go farther than that. Plus it might be different for thoughts."

Tony nodded, thinking. "You got the file?"

Peter blushed a little. "I did, but Avri asked me if I could take my mask off so I did. Don't worry! She did the manipulation thing," he said, seeing Tony's face.

"Does she have any other family?" Tony asked.

Peter shook his head. "Kenric was all she had left."

They lapsed back into silence, each in their own thoughts. It was comfortable but still a little awkward, like most silence is when there are two people and they don't know what to say because the recent events were still being processed.

Then May and Avri walked in.

Avri had changed into jeans and an oversized dark gray T-shirt. Her hands only had a slight red tinge to them, something that would be easily overlooked. She was shaking a little bit.

May walked in right after her, still seeming confused about what had just happened. The second the door was closed, she turned to Peter and demanded an explanation.

"Basically S.H.I.E.L.D. asked me to find out who Psych was," Peter started. "And it wasn't like I could say no, so I decided to try and find her. I talked with Avri but I didn't know it was her until today, when we both snuck out at the same time to do superhero stuff. Then she had one of her visions and we tried to help but we got there too late and someone shot Kenric," Peter said hurriedly, skipping over the few interactions they had before.

In the silence that followed, Avri spoke up.

"They're coming."

* * *

She could hear their footsteps heading down the hall towards them, stepping closer, closer, closer. Avri knew that she had to act normal, but it was hard knowing that the police were coming to tell her news that she was already aware of. From the expression on Peter's face, he heard them too.

Peter silently handed Avri a book and she opened it to a random page while Tony went into Peter's bedroom with the Iron Man suit. The police didn't need to know he was here. May went into the kitchen and Peter skimmed over a worksheet he had left on the table.

Three knocks on the door to Avri's apartment.

Obviously no one answered, and the police knocked again. They waited for about two minutes before knocking on their apartment door, and May answered.

"Oh! Hello, officer. Is there anything I can do for you?" May asked, throwing just the right amount of surprise into her voice.

"We're looking for Avery Hill," the officer said, his tone a little somber. Avri glanced up from the book, looking at them.

"Avri?" May asked, looking over her shoulder. Avri stood up, placing the book on the table. Peter had looked up from the homework he was pretending to do. "Why do you need her?" Avri walked over to her, eyes down to hide the shine of unshed tears.

"We've got some bad news," the officer said. He wasn't one of the original ones they had seen when they first called. "Her uncle... he's dead. I'm so sorry," he said, taking off his cap.

Avri felt the tears running down her cheeks before he even finished talking. May nodded, her words lost in the confirmation. Avri stepped back, suppressing tears. She'd cried enough. May was asking the officers what was going to happen to Avri as said girl simply stood there, wiping at her face, jaw set and fighting back the tears.

"She'll have to be placed in foster care. It doesn't seem she has any other living relatives," the officer said, glancing at Avri.

May nodded. "Would it be possible for her us to foster her?"

"We would have to set her up in the system, but yes. She could stay with you until you decide to adopt her or just keep her with you guys," the second officer replied.

"Could we set it up tomorrow?" May asked, a hint of desperation in her voice. The officer nodded, sending a pitying glance towards Avri as May shut the door.

Tony stepped out of Peter's room as soon as the door shut. "I'll be leaving now, if that's okay," he said, looking at May, who nodded. He flashed a brief smile at Peter before stepping back into Peter's room, where they assumed he put on his suit and flew out the window.

Avri had her arms wrapped around herself in a position of self-comfort. Peter walked over to her, eyes understanding. "You okay?"

She shrugged. "I know I'll be alright, but I'm not tonight."


	17. I'll Only Hurt You If You Let Me

_I'm so sorry I've been gone for such a long time, but here's a new chapter! Please review, it means a ton to me to see them._

* * *

**16 | I'll Only Hurt You If You Let Me**

Peter walked next to Avri in the hall on the way to lunch, gently grabbing her by the arm right before they entered the lunch room. She flinched, jerking away from him. "Hey, just me," he said, trying to meet her teal eyes. They drifted to the right, avoiding his direct gaze. Peter sighed internally, knowing she was going to be hard to get to for a little while. "Come on. You're sitting with me and Ned and MJ. And there's no getting out of it." Peter hadn't been able to focus on classes all day, which wasn't even a problem. He knew more than half the information the teachers were throwing at him.

He reached a hand out, ready to take her by the arm again but stopped himself when he saw Avri tense up, instead making sure she was following him as he walked in. She hadn't said anything to him all day.

"Loser," MJ greeted, not looking up from her book.

"MJ," Peter said, smiling a little and sitting down. Avri followed his lead, sitting down with him across from Ned.

"Hey, Peter," Ned said, side-eyeing Avri. "How was patrol last night?"

Peter glanced at Avri too, nervous to answer. "Um…"

"It's okay, you don't have to tell me," Ned told him hurriedly. "I don't need to know everything."

"No, no, it's not you," Peter said. "It's complicated." Another glance at Avri.

"Why do you keep looking at Demosthenes?" MJ asked, looking Peter right in the eye. "What are you hiding, Peter?"

Peter pressed his lips together, closing his eyes for a second before turning to Avri. "Is it okay if I tell them?"

She shrugged, pointedly avoiding his gaze. Peter sighed, not knowing how to bring it up. How do you tell your best- only- friends that your neighbor's only living relative died, and it was partially your fault?

He pushed a hand through his hair, hesitating. "You won't tell anyone?"

Both Ned and MJ nodded, knowing that this was serious. Ned didn't know what to expect, but he was not prepared to hear what Peter said next.

"Avri's uncle got shot-murdered last night."

Ned gasped, putting a hand over his mouth. MJ's eyes widened and she couldn't stop the shock that flashed over her face before quickly composing herself again. Avri turned away at hearing it again, shaking her head a little so her hair covered her face. An awkward silence settled over them like a blanket.

Peter stared at the table, guilt welling up in his chest. He knew not all of it was his fault, but if they had just gotten there sooner... if he had stopped the man... if he could have saved Uncle Ben...

_Don't tell them about Psych,_ Avri told him. Peter couldn't stop himself from startling just a little bit; it was unsettling to suddenly have someone else's thoughts in your head. _Sorry._

_Don't worry about it,_ Peter thought. _I won't tell._

"Avri? Are you okay?" Ned asked, breaking the two out of their conversation. She startled, jerking back a little and accidentally hitting the person walking behind her. Flash.

"Hey! Ever heard of personal space?" Flash snapped, staring at her.

"That's funny, coming from you," MJ retorted. "Considering I've seen you punch Peter right across the face with no regard for 'personal space' at all."

Flash gaped for a second, sputtering angrily. "I- no- what- didn't happen-"

"It's kind of hilarious watching you try to fit your entire vocabulary into one sentence," MJ told him, smirking as he stormed past their table.

"As I was saying," Ned said, looking sadly at Avri, "I'm so sorry."

She nodded, misty-eyed and biting her lip.

MJ got up from her spot and walked around to sit next to Avri. "I can't imagine what you're going through right now," she said softly. Avri nodded a little, closing her eyes, tears hanging on her eyelashes but not falling. Slowly, MJ put her arms around Avri, wrapping the smaller girl in a gentle hug, letting Avri gently relax in her arms. She whispered something to Avri that caused her to hug MJ back, much to Peter's surprise.

Avri eventually pulled away, clearly a little uncomfortable but smiling now, looking right into MJ's eyes and seeming a little less sad.

Ned leaned over to Peter. "This isn't really the right time, but I think we have a new ship."

* * *

_We're not going out on patrol,_ Avri thought, sending it to Peter the second she saw him in the hall. School was over for the day and the two teens were headed over to Peter's apartment to do their homework.

"Of course not," Peter replied, not even realizing this time that Avri had thought projected. "Why would we?"

Avri only shrugged. She hadn't been able to focus on anything in class, too consumed by the grief that was settling like a pit in her stomach.

"Come on, let's go to Delmar's," Peter said. "Then we can head back." Avri simply followed him as he rushed through the sidewalks, not saying anything and ducking out of the way of other people, mumbling apologies. After a few minutes, they arrived at Delmar's deli.

"Hey, Mr. Delmar!" Peter said, greeting the man.

"Hola, Peter," Mr. Delmar said, glancing at Avri. "¿Es ella tu novia?"

"N-no, Mr. Delmar," he stammered, flushing bright red, oblivious to the blush also creeping up Avri's cheeks.

"Ella es muy hermosa. ¿Cuál es su nombre?" he asked Peter.

"Mi nombre es Avri," she responded quietly, cluing the two in on the fact that she knew Spanish, or at least the basics. Mr. Delmar's eyes widened and Peter blushed even harder, almost matching Avri's color of red. "Y no, no estamos saliendo."

"Number 5, with pickles and squished, right?" Mr. Delmar asked Peter, changing the subject. Peter nodded, glancing at Avri.

"Do you want anything?" he asked. Avri shook her head. She wasn't hungry. She hadn't been since…

She swallowed hard, trying to push the image out of her mind.

_Blood covering her hands and sweatshirt, Kenric's lifeless eyes looking right into hers, blood still pushing out of the wound._

Peter finished paying, much to Avri's relief. She followed him as they walked out of the deli, headed up to his apartment. It was only yesterday, but it felt like forever. Avri had gotten so used to having Kenric there when she got home from patrol, it was weird to know that he wouldn't be coming back.

Not ever again.

Peter looked back at her, worried. She couldn't feel his emotions, or anyone else's for that matter. _Felt too much then didn't feel enough…_

She was numb.

Past feeling anything for other people.

But still unable to feel herself.

Six blocks down from Delmar's was the apartment building. Not far at all. She wrung out her hands, following Peter as they walked, ignoring the concerned looks he kept sending her way. Arriving at the apartment, both went to the living room to do their homework, working in silence until Avri spoke up.

"Do we know who the shooter was?"

Peter nodded. "Yeah, it was in the Bugle. I have no idea how they got it, but it was Dennis Sharp, if I remember correctly." He looked at her. "Brother of Charlie Sharp."

Avri cocked her head. "And who's he?"

"You sent him to jail on Thursday," Peter replied. "I'm assuming it was some kind of revenge, that he was trying to get you to come out and show you what your actions would do or something, but I doubt he knows who you are."

She nodded. "So it's my fault."

"No, Avri, I've been down that road, it doesn't do you any good," Peter told her, standing up as she did.

"But it is. _I_ didn't get there fast enough. _I_ didn't move the bullet. _I_ didn't save him!" she said. "I saw exactly what was going to happen and I wasn't. There. To stop it."

"The exact same thing happened to me," Peter said. "My ignorance caused my uncle's death. That was on me too."

"But you had no idea what could have happened!" Avri snapped, tears collecting in both of their eyes. "I saw it! I knew what was happening!" They were face-to-face at this point, each of them having stepped closer as they were talking. "I caused his death. I-" Her voice softened, became choked.

"I killed him."


	18. Help, I Lost Myself Again

_I apologize I've been gone for such a long time, school's been killing me along with writer's block. Here's the next chapter!_

* * *

**17 | Help, I Lost Myself Again**

Peter knew exactly how Avri was feeling, even without clairsentience. He'd walked down that same path, blamed himself for his own uncle's death. He still did. Blame wasn't something you could simply get away from, it was something you had to fight against and be reminded of over and over again that _it wasn't your fault._

"You didn't kill him," Peter said. "It would have happened whether you saw it or not."

"But I could have stopped it," Avri whispered.

"There was nothing either of us could have done," Peter told her. He had never been more grateful for Aunt May and Tony. At least he still had people who loved him and cared for him like parents. Avri didn't have anyone like that anymore.

He was surprised that Avri was still functioning, really. When Uncle Ben had died, he'd barely been able to get out of bed, much less go to school and act like nothing happened. Avri had such a quiet strength that went unnoticed.

"Stop it," Avri said, glaring at him. "I'm not that good."

Peter looked at the ground before looking at her again, shaking his head a little. "You're right.

"You're better."

Avri shot up from where she was sitting on the ground. "No, I'm not. I'm not better than that, I'm not better than you, or anyone else. And you know why? It's because Kenric's _dead_, and there _was_ something I could have done! I could have moved the bullet, I could have gotten there faster, I could have stopped the whole thing from happening. But did I? No." Her voice cracked with tears as she continued to pace around, the anger and regret practically coming off her in waves. "I- I'm sorry, I shouldn't shout," she suddenly mumbled, stopping behind the couch and sinking to the ground. "I just really miss him."

Peter went over to her, eyes understanding, but not full of pity. He sat down, back against the couch and sat in silence with Avri, giving her a second to breathe. Who knew how hard it was for her right now, with no one else to take care of her or simply be there for her in a parental way?

She sighed and Peter realized with a start that she'd been listening to his thoughts. _Nope, she doesn't listen to them, it's more like-_

"-they fly into my head, yeah," Avri said, shakily. "It gets pretty crazy sometimes." She laughed a little, swallowing the tears stuck in her throat.

Peter nodded, unable to imagine what it was like. He already had enhanced hearing, he couldn't think about that paired with people's thoughts.

"Yeah, it's really loud sometimes. Especially outside. I duck into alleyways sometimes just to-" She sucked in a breath, closing her eyes for a second. "Never mind." Avri hugged her knees to her chest, biting hard on her lip, blinking rapidly. At first Peter thought she was holding back tears but soon remembering she was just stimming.

He sighed, finally noticing just how tired he was. Dealing with this, and for once having the loss not be his- it was surprisingly easy, at least for him, but he was still tired. They'd been up late last night, Avri unable to sleep and Peter struggling to stay awake until he eventually passed out. The thing was, it hurt to close his eyes. He'd been staying awake, trying not to break, trying to help support Avri since she didn't have anybody else, but still-

"It's fine," Avri said, looking straight ahead. "I'm going into the system today anyway."

"What?" Peter asked, scrambling up. "Really?"

She nodded. "My stuff's already packed up, I did it last night after you and May went to sleep."

Peter furrowed his brow as Avri stood up. "Wait, but I fell asleep at, like, two in the morning."

She nodded. "Yeah. I couldn't sleep, so I went over to my apartment and put all my stuff in a duffel bag. I don't have too much."

He looked at her, rising to his feet as well. "You're really leaving? Are you still going to Midtown? What's going to happen to you?"

"I'll still go to Midtown, the foster system gets a good amount of funding plus Kenric's savings for me, but I'll be living there." Peter noticed she didn't use the word 'orphanage'. "So, yeah. You'll see me and stuff, I'll be around, but I'll just be living with others in the system. Hopefully they'll still let me practice dance and do Psych after school."

"It would be nice to have a partner," Peter said without thinking. "Oh, that kind of sounded wrong."

Avri shrugged. "Not really. But I would like to patrol with you. When I get back to it, I mean."

"Do you have any way of staying in touch?" Peter asked. "Since you don't have a phone?"

"I have an email account, I set it up on Kenric's computer," Avri told him, scuffing one of her feet on the ground.

_She doesn't ever say 'Uncle',_ Peter thought. _I wonder why._ If Avri heard that, she offered no reaction.

"So… when do you have to leave?" Peter asked, glancing towards the door, as if someone could come barging in any second.

"Hour, an hour and a half," she said. "Sometime around there."

Peter nodded. They stood in silence for a little bit, both unsure of what to say next. Until Avri asked, "Do you have any tea?"

* * *

"Avri?" someone asked from the other side of the door.

She managed to make a small whimper in return, her breath still short and shallow, hitching every time and breaking off, causing her to choke.

She was holed up in a supply closet, succumbing to the panic attack the second she had slumped against the wall.

"Is it over yet?" they asked softly. "If not, that's fine. Do you want someone else in there with you?"

Avri made a pleading noise, trying to get them to go away. It was getting stronger the longer they were there, and Avri's vision was starting to fill up with black spots.

"Avri?"

She could feel her throat tightening as she tried to answer. "Please just go away," she whispered, feeling her anxiety spike.

"I'm coming in, okay?" Avri tried to protest but she couldn't even breathe now, couldn't get any air into her starved lungs. Her anxiety spiked as the doorknob turned and she gasped, tears coming hot and thick as the attack worsened.

_Oh god,_ the person- Jeslyn- thought, looking at Avri. "Hey. Hey, Avri."

Avri attempted to push Jeslyn away but her body was too tense, locked into place. Someone was stepping on her chest, putting more pressure on with every second. There wasn't anything she could do- she was trapped- burning-

She was suddenly back on the road, surrounded by fire and pain and death-

A sob tore from her throat as Jeslyn stood there, unsure of what to do. "Avri… you're okay…"

She shook her head, thoughts slamming into her hard enough to send every struggling breath flying out as she trembled, trying to stop it-

And then the lights-

And the pain-

And the screaming-

And the death that had burned itself into her skin-

This, she knew, wasn't even going to be the worst panic attack. She had a tendency of having events happen to her that just exacerbated the attacks, and this time it was Kenric's death. Well, it had actually always been death in the past. First her parents- her brother- her aunt- now Kenric-

"Fuck," Jeslyn swore as Avri started pulling at her hair, tears dripping into her palms as she whispered for them to _stay_\- "Okay, just hold on. I'm getting someone," Jeslyn whispered, stepping back out of the room.

Avri shuddered as the door closed, wrapping her arms tightly around herself, only adding more pressure.

Like the accident-

She bit down on her tongue to keep from screaming, the taste of blood filling her mouth. Her lungs screamed for air, begging to breathe and to just relax-

"Thank you, Jeslyn," a new voice said, the one who had been driving. Allison? Yeah. "Avri. Breathe."

_I can't, I can't, I can't-_

"You're okay. You're not in the car-"

That one word sent Avri spiraling deeper, farther into the darkness. That whole car ride she'd been expecting something to happen, something that would kill Allison but leave her alive to deal with everything-

"Deep breaths. Just relax…"

Avri tried, she really did, but the task was next to impossible.

"You can do it."

_It's not working-_

And then the blackness took over.


	19. Too Shy To Say, But I Hope You Stay

_OH MY GOD TWO MORE CHAPTERS LEFT_

* * *

**18 | Too Shy To Say, But I Hope You Stay**

Peter honestly wasn't sure how he felt about Avri not living next to him anymore.

Sure, he had only known about it for a short time, but they'd bonded a lot, despite how… rushed it was. But now they wouldn't be able to just check up on each other or go midnight patrolling or stuff like that.

He closed his locker and turned around before being slammed into them, the metal poking into his back.

"Hey, Puny Parker," Flash sneered, pinning Peter against the lockers. "Haven't seen you in a while. What have you been doing?"

Peter knew better than to reply, although Flash would probably demand an answer out of him. But then he would call it talking back…

"Parker! I'm talking to you," Flash said, punching Peter in the gut. "You pathetic _orphan_."

Ouch. Okay, that one hurt. Most people in the school knew about his family situation, but not all. Or maybe they all did. Peter wasn't sure. But it wasn't okay to go around calling people orphan.

Besides, he wasn't the only one-

"Go away, Flash," Peter growled, not fighting back.

"Why?" Flash taunted. "So you can go back to being a freak? A loser loner who can only make friends with the social pariahs because that's all he is? One day, your friends are going to realize how useless you are and leave you, you know that. And when that happens, I'll be watching and I'll tell you _I told you so._"

Peter's blood was boiling. How dare Flash says this about his friends? Peter didn't care anymore, he pushed off the lockers and easily turned around to pin Flash against them, hands on his shoulders. "Listen here, Eugene. I'm sick and tired of you bullying me almost every day. So for once, just back off and leave me alone."

Flash actually looked scared, eyes wide and body tense beneath Peter's hands. "O-okay," he stuttered, his voice trembling with fear. Peter let go, watching as he hurried down the hall, trying to get away from Peter.

Thankfully the halls were almost empty; Peter had forgotten his textbook and his teacher was nice enough to let him grab it from his locker. He sighed, startling as his watch buzzed.

_Kid? Your heart rate's elevated, what's going on?_ It was a message from Tony, displaying over the watch screen.

_Nothing_, Peter typed back. _Just school._

_We'll talk about this in the labs after school,_ Tony sent.

Right. It was lab day. Peter suddenly was hit with an idea and quickly asked Tony. _Can Avri come with me?_

_Psych?_

_Yeah?_

_Sure, kid. Bring her over. I want to see what she can do._

_Abilities-wise or intelligence-wise?_

_Both._

Peter rolled his eyes, slapping the display down as he went back to his class, almost there before realizing he never got his textbook out of his locker. Sighing, he headed back and grabbed it, worried about what the teacher would say. He'd taken a long time…

Thankfully, she didn't seem to care. She just nodded at him and he smiled a bit, sitting down with his textbook. The teacher continued on with her lecture, not paying too much attention to the students. It was all chemistry stuff Peter already knew, so instead he pretended to write notes on the lecture while actually writing a note to pass to Avri.

_Hey, do you want to come to Stark Industries with me after school?_

Peter folded it up, slipping it behind him while acting like he was stretching. He couldn't hear Avri open the paper but it landed on his desk half a minute later.

_sure_

* * *

Avri just hoped she wasn't going to have to get in a car again.

The tower was in Midtown Manhattan, not too far away from their school. Hopefully they could walk, though it didn't seem like it from the look Peter was giving her.

"Are you going to be okay?" he asked.

"I'll be fine," she said, managing a tight-lipped smile. And she would, in that moment, if she just told herself she was. Avri knew she was going to have some sort of breakdown in a few days, but she was holding it off for as long as she could. It had happened in the past, why wouldn't it happen again?

"Are you sure?" Peter asked, eyebrows furrowed.

"Don't worry about me," she told him, shouldering her backpack and shutting her locker. "Where are we going?"

Peter started walking to the doors. "Happy should be waiting for us outside. I hope Tony told him that you're coming with me…"

Avri swallowed. "Great," she said quietly, already feeling her hands shake. Already her anxiety was rising, much like it did last night.

_God, _no. She didn't need a repeat of that.

Peter's footsteps were getting farther away, so she sped up her own pace to match him. She tugged on a sweatshirt sleeve, tapping her fingers in nervous patterns against her palm. _Second-second-third-fourth-fourth-third-second-first-first thumb over and under._

Avri and Peter stepped outside the school and into the sunny but cold air, Peter scanning for Happy's car.

_Second-second-third-fourth-fourth-third-second-first-first thumb over and under._

Peter walked towards one, looking back once to make sure Avri is following, which she was. He grinned as his stride widens, greeting Happy as he slid into the car.

_Second-second-third-fourth-fourth-third-second-first-first thumb over and under._

Avri hesitated for a second before slowly stepping in, copying Peter and putting her bag on the floor. "Happy, this is Avri," Peter said by way of introduction.

Happy's thoughts were organized, which was nice. Usually people were a _mess_, thoughts scattered and all over the place. It was very hard to navigate

_Second-second-third-fourth-fourth-third-second-first-first thumb over and under._

"Please tell me you aren't reading my mind," Happy said.

"I can't help it," Avri muttered, looking at him, her eyes hiding how close she was to shattering. Too many memories, the reminder, Peter seated on her left just like her brother-

Avri pressed her lips together and willed herself to stop, to _keep it together. This isn't such a big deal. It's just a car. _

_Second-second-third-fourth-fourth-third-second-first-first thumb over and under._

She closed the door with her other hand and buckled in, vision blurring a little. She was going to be fine. She had to be.

Avri was not going to fall apart in front of Tony Stark.

_Second-second-third-fourth-fourth-third-second-first-first thumb over and under._

"What do you mean you can't help it?" Happy asked as they pulled out of the school parking lot.

"They just fly into my head," Avri explained. "I have no control over it, unless I really try. It's like I'm putting up a _wall_ around my mind, which takes a lot of energy."

_Second-second-third-fourth-fourth-third-second-first-first thumb over and under._

"Really?" Happy asked, shooting her a glance. For some reason, she could feel worry coming off of him.

She nodded, looking out the window and immediately turning away. It would be worse if it was at night, but this was bad enough. Police sirens wailed in the distance and Avri winced.

No more memories, no more memories, no more memories-

_Second-second-third-fourth-fourth-third-second-first-first thumb over and under._

She breathed in silently, counting the breaths, one, two, three, four, the finger tapping matching up with it. The car ride was tense and Avri could feel it pressing on them.

_One-two-three-four-four-three-two-one._

_Again._


	20. Now You Know

_Last chapter, there's an epilogue after this but that's it._

* * *

**19 | Now You Know**

"Peter, wait a second!" Tony said from somewhere in the lab.

"What? Why?" Peter asked, confused. "What did you do?"

Tony glared at him for a second. "That wounds me, Pete. Why would you automatically assume _I _did something?"

"Who else is there to do something? Plus, I can smell fire," Peter pointed out. Tony yelped as a flaming chunk of something flew towards his shoe.

Dum-E rolled forward and sprayed it out, getting Tony with a good amount as he did so. "Hey! We've been going through this since 2008!" Tony scolded.

Peter grinned at Tony. "So what are we doing?"

"First, Avri, hello," Tony said, greeting the girl with a small smile. "It's nice to see you on better circumstances, considering, our last meeting wasn't on the," he dragged out the next word, "_best_ terms. But thank you for coming today, I want to see what you can do."

"Thank you, Mr. Stark," Avri said softly.

Tony sighed. "I'm going to have to go through this again, aren't I?" he mumbled to himself. "Pete, can you show her around the lab? I have to get something first, but I promise I'll be right back."

"Okay!" Peter said, smiling. Tony smiled back as he stepped out of the room, leaving the two teens alone. Avri looked around, clearly in awe.

"Do you get to work with this all the time?" she asked.

Peter nodded. "Yeah, Tony lets me come over twice a week and we just mess around in the lab."

"That's awesome," Avri said, stepping closer to one of the tables. "Oh, wow, NXT. I haven't used one of these in forever."

"You do LEGO robotics?" Peter asked.

She nodded. "I used to. There was a league at my old school, FLL? It was pretty fun. I wish I could have done the Animal Allies one last year, I had a ton of ideas. Hydro Dynamics seems pretty fun, but I don't have a team. Plus, we wouldn't be registered for the league anyway, so it doesn't really matter." She shrugged. "Besides, I haven't touched my old stuff in years."

Peter hadn't seen this side of Avri at all, the science-y coding part. All he'd seen was the hero who'd lost almost everyone.

He hadn't really gotten to know her, now that he thought about it. He didn't know much about her, just her… situation. But that was it. He didn't know what she liked besides dance. What was her favorite color? MJ's was black, and Ned's was green.

"White," Avri said, toying with one of the pieces.

"What?" Peter asked.

"My favorite color. It's white," Avri said, tossing the piece in the air and catching it.

"Oh," Peter said, nodding. "Uh... mine's red."

"It's a good color," Avri said. They fell into silence as Avri looked at the robot, taking a few pieces off and rearranging them.

Avri nodded absently at her own statement, fiddling with the robot even more. "Wrong wheels," she muttered, examining it. Turning to Peter, she asked, "Are there any of the LEGO technic pieces in here?"

Peter nodded. "Tony and I use them all the time to make models. Or, I do. Tony prefers the hologram stuff." He pointed her towards them, and she thanked him as she edited the robot, looking at the code as well from that it was plugged into. "Not bad. There's a course somewhere, I assume?"

He was still in shock a little at the technical prowess Avri had for this. "Yeah, over there," he said, pointing to it. Avri nodded, running the robot through once and then going back into the code, completely ditching the blocks and going straight into JS, changing numbers and typing new code for it, fingers flying over the keys.

"This should be good," Avri said, uploading and saving the code.

"What did you even do?" Peter asked, looking at the code himself.

She shrugged. "I messed with it a little. This is one of the few things I'm actually good at." Placing the robot down, she ran it again, smiling as it ran through a turn smoothly.

"That's awesome," Peter breathed, surprised at how well it was running through.

Avri blushed. "Thanks."

"Pete! Avri! Come down here!" Tony called. "I've got the surprise!"

Peter looked at Avri. "You ready?"

She nodded. "Let's go, I guess."

Peter offered her a small smile as they went down a floor, ending up in some open space Peter's hadn't been to.

And in it were the Avengers.

"What the fu-"

* * *

"Language," Steve said, stopping Peter's curse before he finished.

"-dge nuggets," Peter said, eyes wide with excitement. "You're the Avengers! The real avengers! This is so cool!"

Tony gasped. "Peter!"

"Sorry!" Peter said. "I'm just… forget it." But memories danced in his head, _people in Avengers masks, Peter quipping while taking them down, crazy alien weapons…_

Avri jerked out of them, pushing them to the back of her mind as she tried to focus on what was in front of her. The _Avengers._

"This is my intern, Peter, and his friend Avri," Tony said. "Kids, these are the other half of the Avengers."

"Aren't you war criminals or something?" Peter blurted.

"We figured out a new Accords," Tony said.

Peter gasped. "So I _did _hear Steve in the background of the call!"

Steve nodded. "Yeah."

Peter's excitement rushed in full force, strong enough to make Avri stumble forward a few steps from where she was standing in the corner. She flushed, blinking hard. "I- It's an honor to meet you," she said shyly, not looking up from the ground.

Their mental voices were loud, each of them tangling up in the others'. It was a lot to process at the moment, and Avri was struggling. Still, she stood straight and closed her eyes for a second, picking them apart in her mind and trying to separate them. It was better than school, but not much. After all, how are you supposed to process that you're in the same room as some of the Avengers in the first place?

"Hi! I'm Peter," Peter said, holding out a hand before immediately retracting it. "Sorry, I probably shouldn't- I mean- higher than-"

"Hello, Spider-Man," Natasha said, her red hair cascading over her shoulders.

Peter gaped for a second and even Tony looked surprised before he started denying it. "No. No, no! Where'd you get that from? There's no way I'm Spider-Man, that's crazy-"

Natasha simply raised one eyebrow at him.

Then it all dissolved into chaos.

"Tony, you brought a _kid_ to Germany? To fight? Are you crazy?" Steve asked, his voice scarily calm.

"That's not responsible at all," Sam said, "he could've gotten seriously hurt."

"You brought me," Wanda said to Steve. "How is that any different?"

"Oh my god," Steve gasped. "I dropped an airport terminal on you."

"You _what_?" Tony asked, glaring at him. "Pete, why didn't you tell me this?"

"I was fine, Tony!" Peter said.

"How much can you hold up?" Sam asked, eyes wide.

It was still strange for Avri to see the Avengers in normal clothes, not their suits.

Peter shrugged. "I don't know. Once I lifted up a warehouse ceiling when it fell on me…" He trailed off, realizing his mistake. "Uh…"

"Kid, we're going to have a serious talk about this later," Tony said. "Along with this Flash you told me about."

Peter groaned. "Fine."

"Is there anything special about you?" Sam asked.

It took Avri a second to realize he was talking to her. "Oh, me? No," she said with a nervous laugh.

"I call BS," Natasha said. "You've got something going on too."

Avri sighed in frustration, figuring it would just be easier to tell her than try to tiptoe around her skill set. "Fine. I'm Psych. Are you satisfied?"

"Very."

"Great," Avri said, adjusting her backpack. "Thanks, Mr. Stark, but I have to head back to the center."

"Do you want Happy to drive you?" Tony asked, clearly not picking up on her anger.

"No, I'm fine," she said, nodding bye to the rest. "I'll see you tomorrow, Peter."

"Bye," he said, smiling a little at her.

A ghost of a smile appeared on her lips as she stepped into the elevator, heading into the lobby and then out the building.

Avri was just _frustrated. _So much crappy stuff was going on in her life right now and she was totally prepared to succumb to a mental breakdown at three in the morning or something like that. She was tired, running on no sleep since _that day_ and just trying to go through like a normal person, which she _wasn't_.

She was tired of pretending.

Avri sucked in air, telling herself she just had to get back and then she would be okay.

_But it's not home-_

_It won't be-_

_You're not going to have that again-_

Avri just wanted to go back.

Back to when Kenric was still alive.

Back to when no one knew she was Psych.

Back to when she was as normal as she could get.

Back to before the daily panic attacks.

Back to before Peter Parker entered her life.

But there was nothing she could do. _Life was like dominos_, she thought.

Once it starts, there's no stopping it.


	21. Forget About It

_Wow._

_This is finished, guys._

_After three months of work and 55 pages in my Google Drive, it's done._

_Thank you for staying with me through this story, through the ups and downs, and for supporting me with your reviews. It means so much every time I see one and I just want to thank you for reading this. I am please to announce that there will be a prequel and sequel. Anyway, please enjoy! Love you 3000._

* * *

**20 | Forget About It**

A week later, Avri still hadn't gone back to the Tower, even though Peter had invited her. It wasn't that she was scared, more of just avoiding everything. Including the drive, but that was normal. She preferred to be in cars as little as possible.

She hadn't gone back to patrol yet either, instead focusing on her homework in school. Avri was still trying to stave off panic attacks before she did her homework, hoping that they would die down soon. Thankfully, the number had decreased over the last few days, which was better than it had been.

So it was safe to say that Avri was surprised when she came back to the center to see a brown bag on the bed.

_Tony must really like doing that._

She closed the door behind her, since her roommate wasn't coming back for another hour. Avri had already checked in with their residential counselor and said that she was back. Narrowing her eyes, she stepped towards it. Written on the bag was _Enjoy the suit._

Signed with a _TS._

Avri put her backpack down on the floor, picking up the brown bag and opening it up. Inside was a white suit, the legs made of a black material and creeping up the sides. She looked at it, admiring the pale blue accents running along the sides of it.

It wasn't like Peter's, as it was made of a different material. It wasn't spandex, instead something slightly thicker and baggier, but still a suit. She looked at it, pleased to see a hood. Tony had really been paying attention to her outfit.

The eyes were shaped in a slightly anime style, with black surrounding the white inside. They were the same kind as Peter's, with the black shutter around it.

She smiled, carefully folding it up and placing it under her bed with some of her other, _personal_, belongings.

The door suddenly opened and Avri froze, halfway out from under the bed. "Oh! Hey, sorry!" they said and Avri stood up.

"Sorry," she said, flustered and basically tripping into the conversation. "Uh, were you looking for someone…?"

"Yeah, is Jeslyn here?" she asked. Avri still hadn't looked at her face yet.

"No," Avri replied, chancing a glance at the other person's shoes. "I- uh- she won't be back until about an hour." She looked over to the left, fiddling with her fingers.

"Okay, thank you," she said. Avri could feel a bit of confusion from her, probably from Avri's unusual behavior.

"Sorry," Avri repeated. But the door closed and the person didn't hear it.

She sighed, sitting on her bed. It was time to just put everything that happened in the past week and a half behind her. She had a new suit, some new friends (maybe), and a fresh start.

It was time.

Her time.


End file.
